


in a different life(s)

by earlydusk



Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2019-08-25 10:59:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 110,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16659850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/earlydusk/pseuds/earlydusk
Summary: if it's meant to be, it will find its way





	1. arc #1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how this would pan out so please bear with this mess of drabbles

It is just like any other day - or so he thought - when he comes to the class this morning. It was the first week of his second year as a business major student and he is less than thrilled to start the semester. 

Summer break was dull although he knows a lot of people find it's fun especially it's year of Olympics, not that he cares that much as he can only watch it on TV in his room. Even it is boring, at least he didn't have to spend it in a lecture hall that was filled with unfamiliar faces whom he might have last met almost 2 years ago, when he had left to complete his mandatory service. Coincidentally he completed his service right after the semester break started so he had some extra time before returning to school.

The chattering inside the hall slowly ceased when the professor had entered the room. 

"I'm glad to see everyone seems energetic at the start of semester, let's keep this spirit until the end."

There are half hearted applause as a response for his words.

"Before I start the lecture today, let me introduce myself. My name is -- "

"Kyaaaaa !!"

"It's him !"

His introduction is forced to a stop when suddenly there were some high pitched squeals from the students - female students mostly. At the front door a young man who looks like he had just sprinted into the hall has just entered the room with sheepish grin.

"Ah, I've heard that you will be in my clas this semester."

"Morning, prof". He bows slightly towards the professor while remain standing at the front door. His face seems quite familiar but Changmin is sure he never meets that man before.

"It's an honour but I hope you know there's no special treatment in my class even if it's for you, young lad." Although his words sound stern, the professor still has an easygoing smile on his face.

"I'm so sorry. There is a little unexpected circumstance that hinders me just now." No longer putting on a smile, the student right now looks a little guilty while trying to explain himself.

"There must be a crowd outside just now, I guess?"

"Yes, something along that line." He explains to the professor while the other students are hysterical everytime he opens his mouth to speak.

"I understand. You may take your seat."

"Thank you, prof."

"Oppa, here."

"Sunbae, sit beside me."

Jung Yunho looks a little fluster at the turn of event while his gaze trying to find an empty seat while respectfully acknowledge the girls who keeps trying to get his attention. 

This time, it is Changmin's turn to be perturbed when the student stops right next to him.

"Is this seat occupied?"

Half of him wants to say 'yes' as it feels like all the attention now is directed to him but his mouth has a mind of its own.

"No."

Yunho seems relief at the answer and place his bags on the table.

"Thanks". Probably it's the lighting but Changmin swears he has just gotten first hand experience of a 'blinding smile'.

The commotion around them doesn't seemed to stop until the professor claps his hands several time.

"I'm sure everyone's ecstatic since we have the gold medalist archer here but let's get back to the topic. My name Lee Dongho, and you can call me Prof. Lee."

Slowly turning his head to his left, he sees Yunho who starts to focus his attention on whatever the lecturer is rambling about.

'What the hell?'

***

After around 3 hours later, finally the class comes to its end. For the whole time, Yunho can actually concentrate on the topic that is explained by Prof. Lee but it is Changmin who is sitting besides him that feels like he will lose his mind if he has to stay there even for a second longer. He knows that everyone is staring at the athlete but as he is beside him, he is affected a little too much by all the stares.

Yunho decides to pick the seat because as all the other students in the hall has been calling his name or at the very least stares at him intensely, the boy actually looks at him curiously and possibly something he assumes as confusion at the situation. He takes the bet to choose that seat as what's the worse thing could happen as it seems as the safest option.

His life has changed completely in that summer when he won the gold medal when it is his first Olympics. It's a shame he has completed his mandatory service a little over a year prior or else he would make use of the exemption, although the fact that he is done with the service boost his public popularity.

Little does he knows that his participation in the tournament practically makes him a star overnight as most people praise his visual and talent ever since the first round. He feels it a little burdensome as he has just started his third year and there will be two more years before he can graduate.

Once the class is dismissed, he turns to look at his seat mate(?) and when he sees the distress look on the other he feels sorry for the other person.

"Hey, are you okay dude?"

Changmin is startled when then guy suddenly speaks to him when he is putting away all books.

"Yeah, I mean... I'm okay hyung-damn, I mean, Jung Yunho-ssi, sunbae."

"Haha, hyung is fine too. You must be younger than me, huh?"

He is amused by this guy before him and he lets out another laugh when the he simply nods as the answer.

"So, it's hyung for you then. See you around."

He slings his bag across his shoulder before proceeding to exit the hall- or trying to get out of it. He has just taken a few steps away from his seat when girls encircle around him like a hungry hyena.

"Sunbae! You looks even more handsome after the break."

"Oppa, can you help me with study again like last semester?"

"Sunbae, buy us food for lunch later!"

Thanks to his height, he can finally look at the face of his seating partner clearly. The boy is taller than he has expected but instead of confusion or distress face he has seen earlier, there's something difference at that short glimpse before the other walk away.

'What is that look?'

***

"Hey, everyone talks about Jung Yunho today. I heard he's from your department?"

"You know about Jung Yunho?"

He squints his eyes at his best friend, Kyuhyun, who he has known since middle school. He knows his best friend too well and if he remembers correctly, the man has even less interest in sports that he does.

"Who doesn't? Even an idiot would have heard about him. Did you meet him in any of your class?"

He is offended as he is probably worse than a fool since he actually didn't recognize nation's current golden boy until he heard his name. He never actually pay attention or effort to memorize the face before but he has heard of his name as it was probably repeated for thousand of times on every TV channels and radio broadcasts.

"I sat next to him just now."

Kyuhyun looks at him for a few seconds before he bursts out laughing hysterically.

"As if you would have a chance. Why in the world would he sits beside someone like you? He can choose to seat anywhere he wants. Did you forcibly take the seat beside him?" He continue his laughter after imagining Changmin desperately trying to sit next to a Jung Yunho.

He indulges his food ignoring the laughter while thinking about the scene earlier. Despite his status it was clear that he does not take it for granted.

'Being popular for sure isn't easy.'

***

Three weeks later he find himself grudgingly at the library instead of getting drunk or having fun defeating anyone in game although it's Friday night. He has a report that is due on Monday so he has to complete it in instance but as he has collected the books he needs, he can't find an empty table on that floor. When he walks passing the shelves to get to the staircase, someone suddenly taps his shoulder from behind.

"Who knows I'd meet you here on a Friday night."

It is the one and only, Jung Yunho, with his wide smile and a few books in his left hand.

"Sunbae, nice to meet you."

After their first class, Changmin never have any real conversation with the third year student although every week on Tuesday they actually still sit side by side - something he slowly getting accustomed to. 

"Hey, told you 'hyung' is fine right. Are you doing the report for Prof. Lee's class too?"

It's not that he forgets about it but as they are not close and that man is someone who is worshipped practically by the everyone, he feels out place to casually call him 'hyung'.

"Yes but it seems like I need to go upstairs as there's no vacant seat here."

"Don't worry. Come sit at my table, we can do this work together then." Yunho walks away and gestures Changmin to come along before he can say anything. He raises one brow when he sees Yunho's laptop, bag and papers are sprawled across the two-person table.

"Are you using me as a shield, sun- hyung?"

He grins widely to Changmin in response before hiding a laugh behind his hand.

"You caught me. Haha, it's better working with you than having some stranger sitting with me right? Plus you won't have to search for another table."

Changmin merely stare at him before pulling a chair to settle at the table.

"Well, if you want me to sit here I think you need to make some space for me."

"Nice. Wait, I'll put away my bag."

While Yunho is arranging his stuff on the table, Changmin silently look at him for a few seconds.

"Is there anything wrong?"

"Why did you pick to sit beside me that day, hyung?"

Yunho looks a little startled by his question before answering him.

"To be honest, at that time you're the only one who doesn't look like you'd swallow me alive. I don't think you even knew why the others were reacting like that, right?"

This time it is Changmin who feels his face getting warm.

"I admit I didn't recognize your face but I've heard about your victory, I'm not that ignorant."

Yunho looks at him with amuse smile this time, something that he still cannot get used to.

"It's fine. It's refreshing to have someone reacted like that after having chaotic reaction all the time."

"Don't you like it? I mean, everyone wants to be your friend and happy for your achievements."

Changmin doesn't consider himself a loner but he is also not someone that would be described as social butterfly. He is not that good at going out all the time just to hang out with bunch of people so he prefers to have only certain close friends around him.

"They only like the fact that I'm a nation's archer. Although I have quite a large group of friend, now everytime people talk to to me is about that gold medal. Those people would probably leave me as fast as lightning if I become nation's embarrassment at the next tournament."

The answer is not something he expected which cause him to bow his head several times in apology.

"Sorry. I didn't mean it that way, hyung. It's just -"

He heard Yunho's muffled laughter with a hand gripping his arm across the table, motioning him to raise his head.

"I understand your meaning well. You don't have to be too formal with me, hoobae."

His face looks a little flush from the laughter but Changmin still feels a little awkward to respond to him.

"Now that I think about it, you haven't told me your name. What should I call you?"

"Ah, right. My name is Shim Changmin, second year student from the same department."

He bows a little when he is introducing himself, as a courtesy.

"Changmin. I never see you around last semester? Or is it that we never have the same class?"

"I was on leave before, I just completed my service around 3 months ago."

At this answer, Yunho gives him an understanding smile with reminiscing look, probably recalling his own experience.

"Ah, military duty. It's all fine now that you're done with it. Did you enjoy your time there?"

He instinctively scrunch his face at the question which once again stirs up a chuckle from Yunho.

"Understandable."

"At least you don't have to do yours since you got the medal, hyung."

"I did mine a little bit too early. I've completed the service when I got the exemption though." He doesn't mention that most people already know about this fact, noting it as another interesting detail about the man in front of him.

Changmin looks at him this time, slowly feeling comfortable with the other's presence. 

"That's too bad. You wouldn't rush with the service if only you knew, would you?"

"You bet."

"Oo, who would have known, even the nation's golden boy isn't too eager about the service." He give a teasing smile to Yunho. He expects someone like Yunho wouldn't give away his true feeling about that subject easily, so he is pleased to know he is just like any regular guy - just with more attractive looks and Olympics tag to his name. 

He gestures Changmin to move closer while leaning against the table.

"That will be a secret between us." Yunho playfully whispers to Changmin which makes him giggles at those words.

"Sure, hyung."

They spend their times while doing their works with light conversation and enjoying the newly formed friendship.

***

Right before the mid semester break, Prof. Lee announces a project that will greatly contribute to their grade that semester. Everyone around him is busy finding partner for it as pairing the wrong person will surely be a hassle. 

"Oppa, be my partner this time."

"No, sunbae. Pick me, you know that I'm good at presentation."

"Why would he pair with you ladies? Yunho-ya, we were groupmates before, you know I'm dependable right, hoobae?"

Sighing inwardly, he looks at the people trying to get his attention. Looking to his right he sees Changmin is ready to leave his seat. Their relationship has gotten closer than before but the other does not flaunt it at all especially when they are surrounded by their classmates.

"Sorry everyone but I already have a partner. Right, Changmin?"

Changmin whips his head into direction, with his eyes wide in shock.

"Eh?"

"Aren't you going to work with me this report?"

Cursing mentally, he finally gets a grasp of what Yunho is trying to do. He nods his head reluctantly when all eyes are staring at him waiting for him to deny it.

"Yeah," he mutters to confirm their disbelief.

Slowly most of them disperse while few stay behind to ask Yunho to choose them next time.

He stays at his place until Yunho pulls him by the arm to walk together. He lets go of his touch once Changmin walks along with him at the hallway.

"You set me up on purpose, hyung." He says in protest once they are far enough from the others.

"I won't force you if you don't want to."

Yunho happily slings him arm around the Changmin's neck, while his other hand is balancing his grip on his bag.

"You know I would agree in that situation." He grumbles but doesn't try to set free from the contacts.

"You don't have a partner anyway. I'm the best choice you will have, Changmin-ah."

"Wow, that's so humble you."

Ignoring the sarcasm in his voice, Yunho only laugh before letting go of his grip. 

"I sure do. I'll go to my next class now. See you during the break, partner."

He simply nods when Yunho wave at him before moving to the opposite direction. Suddenly he feels rather alone when he sees the other walking away from him. Shaking the thought away, he goes directly to his next class with a little unfathomable excitement.

***

"I told you we should use the other method, hyung."

They are currently at Yunho's apartment with bunch of books they have borrowed from the library lying on the table. He has spent his time at the place since morning as they decide it is better to do the work at the comfort of home as they still have to work on more than half of the report. They practically live at the library for the previous two days before deciding they would have a broken backs by the time they finish they report if they have to sit longer at the hard chair.

"It will not match, Changmin-ah. Look at the next question. It doesn't make sense to use that formula."

"I give up. Hyung, let's just to our best for the final exams." He exclaims while lying down on the inviting sofa.

"It's okay, we still have some times to figure it out. I'll call for delivery, what do you want to eat?"

"Anything's fine, I'm starving already."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier, I thought you don't feel like eating yet. Hold on." He sighs and reach for his phone to make a call to order some food for them. 

After stretching for a few seconds, Changmin decides to walk around the house while Yunho is on the phone. He enters a room which showcases a lot of trophies and sees several bows hung on the wall. He touch a rather old bow that is placed on a decoration table. 

"That is my first bow." Yunho says from the door.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak around." He guiltily distancing himself from the table.

"It's okay, I don't mind you looking around." He walks into the room and come closer to where Changmin is standing.

"Seems like you treasure this bow a lot," he gestures the bow without touching it this time.

Yunho picks up the bow and tugs the string a little.

"It's a gift from my grandfather. I used to play with him a lot when I was young but he passed away when I was just in middle school."

He sees the look in Yunho's eyes when he hold the bow. 

"I'm sure he would be proud of you wherever he is, hyung." He pats Yunho's arm a few times before letting his hand rest hold the other's elbow.

"I hope so. Have you tried archery before, Changminnie?" He looks up at Changmin with a beaming smile this time, gone is the sad smile a while ago.

"Never. I guess you can say the only sport I'm good at is badminton." He pulls away his hand to cover his mouth while chuckling.

"Here, I want to see your stance. Who knows maybe you have a hidden talent in you." Yunho hands the bow to Changmin, encouraging him to hold the bow.

He hesitantly accepts the bow, holding it with a tight grip.

"I don't think this is a good idea, hyung. I might break the bow, you know."

"Don't be silly. It might be old but it's not that fragile. Come on, try it." From his left side, Yunho arrange Changmin's hold on the bow limbs and strings, trying to make him give it a shot.

"Well... if you insist so."

Slowly, he fix his stature and grips on the bow, trying to imitate the stance he imagines an archer would do.

"Oh, not bad. You should put your thumb lower though." 

He tries to move his thumb accordingly.

"Like this?"

"No, here. Let me help you."

Closing the distance, Yunho gently grips his hand on the handle and rearrange his fingers. Once he fixes his grips and arms angle, he steps back to look at Changmin and nods his head satisfyingly.

"How do I look, hyung?" He turns back to look at Yunho with excited grin, flaunting his posture almost animatedly which evokes impressed laugh from the man.

"You look like a real deal," he says with his remaining giggle.

"You're making fun of me," Changmin whines and drops his arms, still keeping his grips on the bow.

"Not at all, Changmin-ah. Try to pull the bowstring. Imagine you're going to shoot a target."

With a pout still on his face, he once again lifts his arm and correcting his stance. He struggles a bit to pull the string since it is a heavier than he expected.

"It's not as easy as I saw on TV, huh?"

"It will not work if it is loose. Let me show you."

Taking his place behind him, Yunho put his hands on Changmin's and leans closer to him. He helps the younger man to pull the string correctly and keeps the posture.

"Oh?! You make it feels like a piece of cake."

He turns to looks at Yunho but when they meet each other's eyes, his smile frozen. Their face were inches apart as Yunho is still clinging at him with their hands intertwine on the bow. He looks at the man face, his clear eyes, tall nose and the mole at the edge of his lips. 

While he is mesmerized with what he sees, Yunho also takes his time to look at his features. Yunho lets his gaze linger at his lips before travelling up to look at a pair of beautiful eyes, something he has noticed would become rather mismatched when Changmin laughs or smiles widely.

They are not sure how long they stare at each other as both of them seemingly refuse to back down but they come back to their senses when Changmin's phone ringtone blares from his jeans.

Releasing his hold, Yunho takes a few step away and clenches his hands into loose fist on his sides. Changmin holds the bow with one hand while using his free hand to take out his phone, answering it without looking at the caller's ID.

"Hey, Shim. Are you free tomorrow? We don't have enough people in our team."

He sees Yunho exits the room as he talks on the phone. He tries to keep his attention on the conversation for a few minutes before excusing himself. He put back the bow on the table and walk out of the room to see Yunho holding one book in his hand while looking at it absently.

"Hyung." He waits for the man to look at him before saying anything.

There's unreadable looks on Yunho's expression when their eyes meet.

"Changmin, about just now--"

The bell sounds dismiss whatever Yunho tries to say.

"That must be the delivery. Take your seat, I'll answer the door."

Changmin sits down mindlessly while Yunho disappears to retrieve their order. When he comes back with the food, both of them eats in awkward silence before continuing their discussion. They make some remarks during that time but both of them avoids the previous topic and tries to ignore the elephant in the room.

***

The break passes in a blink of an eye. He has his lunch at the student centre with Kyuhyun today as both of them has some free times as his class is cancelled but he barely reacts to whatever story his friend is telling him.

"Chwang, is there anything wrong?" Finally he stops to look at Changmin this time. His friend only plays with his food ever since they get there.

"Nothing. Just the common Monday's blue." He tries to convince his Kyuhyun but even he knows he fails miserably. After that day, he and Yunho only met at the library to finish their project. Their interactions have returned to normal but he fails to chase away the questionable feeling although Yunho treats him as usual. Probably a little too usual for his liking.

"What is it? I didn't see you for the whole break and now you're acting weirdly."

"Nothing, man. You know me, I'm bummed that the break ends too soon."

"Are you sure?" Kyuhyun most likely doesn't buy his reasoning but that man is not one to force answer from someone.

"Yeah. I'll be fine after a couple of days."

As it on cue, right at that moment he sees Yunho enters the cafeteria with his group of friends. There are whispers going around and some people even take out their phones to steal some pictures.

"Wow, Jung Yunho. He is more handsome than the pictures online. Isn't him your project partner?"

"Yeah, I already told you." He avoids looking directly at Yunho when the man obviously is having fun with his friends, joking around while waiting for their turn in the queue.

"Greet him. Introduce me to him, dude."

"I don't think that's a good idea. He is with his friends." Changmin continues to force himself to focus on his food, stuffing himself even when he doesn't feel like eating anymore.

"Aren't you also his friend?" 

"We're just classmates, I suppose." He answer after he swallows the food.

Kyuhyun looks at him with a weird look on his face at the answer.

"Didn't you say he was nice before? Did you guys fight or something?"

"What are you talking about? There's nothing like that. Quick, if you're done let's go. I still have class after this." 

"Oh, since when our Chwangie is excited for class?" Kyuhyun decides to annoy his friend with ruffling his hair.

"Dude, cut it off." Changmin struggles to push away the hands invading his hair when his gaze locks with Yunho's.

The man is staring at him unmoving before his friends snaps their fingers to get his attention. They move forward as it is their turn but before that Yunho looks back at his direction briefly.

"Hey, let go of my hand now, dude."

"Huh? What?" Finally he notice he is still holding Kyuhyun's wrists and push it away.

"Did you lose some screw or anything? You're surely acting very weird."

"Nonsense. Let's go. Don't blame me if you're late to class."

They leave together but not before he turns to have one last look at the archer.

***

"I can't believe you spent almost the whole break with that kid. You only meet up with us a few times last week." Heechul complains while glaring at him with sharp eyes.

"We need to finish the report. I can't bust my grades just to have fun, don't I?"

"Whatever. I envy you. You will have excuse to ditch classes after this since you have the practice."

Yunho stops to process the words. Usually he wouldn't mind missing the class for practices as not only he has the permission from the university, he also doesn't have problems to catch up his study even when he skips the class. Weirdly this time around he feels reluctant to skip one particular class.

"I'll try to attend the classes to not dissappoint you, don't worry." He grins to his friend and starts to walk with him to exit the class.

"Oh? I'm honoured. Since when you are so thoughtful, my dear Jung?"

Yunho laughs it off, knowing his friend for too long to question his antics.

"Anything for you, my friend." 

"Please. I know you. Don't lie to me. Which lucky soul makes you rather attend the classes than practice."

He almost gets a whiplash when he turns too fast to look at Heechul, facing his knowing look.

"What are you implying here?"

"Oh, come on. You almost miss my birthday party to practise for another hour last year, man. Don't tell me you will skip practice just for me. Who is it?"

He stops in his track and gapes while looking at the man.

"I.... you're thinking too much."

"Don't tell me you don't notice your own feelings."

When Yunho doesn't answer, Heechul only sighs while rolling his eyes.

"You spend too much time practising that I think you lost your sense, Yunho. Tell me, who is that person. I'll be your wingman, no need to thank me."

Yunho still stare at him in horror. 

Ever since he knows Changmin, he has noticed he enjoys the other's presence differently compare to his other friends. He never gives it much thought as he assumes it was due to the fact that it is because Changmin is younger than him so that's the reason he feels affectionate towards him.

The incident that happened at his home makes him doubt his real feelings for the younger man. He also feels a little restless when he saw the man getting close with someone earlier that day.

'Who was that? Should be just a friend, I think.'

When he realises what he's been thinking, he gives himself a mental slap.

'I must have gone crazy. We are both men, why am I acting like this.'

His expression sour at that thoughts.

***

"He isn't here today?"

"He has another tournament in few months. Maybe he's preparing for it?"

"Aah, that brat is damn lucky. I want to skip class too."

"Shut up. I'll be thankful if you skip the class instead of him. Too bad only loser like you that stucks here."

Changmin tunes out the conversation around him with his head on the table. Sometimes, he forgets that no matter how much Yunho acts like a regular person around everyone, he is still a national athlete. Skipping some classes is something expected.

The last few weeks he has heard from the seniors that Yunho has missed some of the classes but luckily, he doesn't skip this class - until today.

They actually interacts regularly in class now- somehow he manages to ignores people who's staring at them. There are times Yunho would text him about random things during they are in other classes. He wants to contact the older man first but he always hold back, afraid that he might annoy him as the reason Yunho becomes close to him in the first place is because he doesn't pester the athlete.

"Morning, everyone." He looks up to see Prof. Lee is already standing infront.

"I recently finish marking the reports you submitted a few weeks ago. Apparently, most of you fail to understand the scenario given so I hope you will work hard for a other assessment to compensate for ghe loss of marks."

There are groans resonate around the hall.

He bites his lips as he heard the words, worrying that their marks are not up to the expectations. He is scared of his own thought as the reason he doesn't want a low grade is because he is afraid Yunho would be dissapointed in their partnership.

When he checks their grades that has been posted, his eyes widen. Their marks are higher than he expected and according to the comment by Prof. Lee at the side note, their report is among the ones that fulfills his criteria.

He wants to inform Yunho of the good news but after some reconsideration, he put his phone away.

'He must be busy with practice. I'll tell him next time.'

He sits through the lecture and doesn't react when they are dismissed earlier than usual. When the others have left the room, he stays at his seat and rest his head on the table again. 

He dozes off a moment later and jolts awake when he felt something cold on his neck. Raising his head up, he is dumbfounded to see Yunho hands him a can of cold coffee.

"Having a rough day?"

"Hyung !" He almost jump on his seat when he sees the man.

"Miss me much, Changmin-ah?" Yunho close the gaps and envelops him in a warm hug for that.

He freezes in shock at Yunho's reaction but before he has the chance to return the hug Yunho already moves to distance himself once again.

"What are you doing here, hyung? I thought you have practice?"

"Well, I actually planned to attend the class but I couldn't make it. I thought it would be a waste to leave without at least greeting my partner, so 'hi'," Yunho grips his arm and clench it a few times.

Changmin knows it could mean nothing but his hearts feels warm at those words.

"Hi to you too, hyung. Oh, I've got something to tell you." He recalls about their grades just now and excitedly grabs a hold on Yunho's hand to tell him.

"What is it, Changmin?" 

"We scores really well, I mean- Prof. Lee just posted the marks for our report on online boards! Our grade is among the top, hyung." He practically squeals when relaying the news, feeling giddy with excitement for their achievements.

As their hands is still clasps together, Yunho pulls him closer and hugs him again. This time Changmin who is still in his exhilaration of the accomplishments spontaneously hugs him in return.

"Good to hear that! We didn't spend all those times for that in vain." Yunho pats his back a few times and holds Changmin's shoulder to push him back a little to look at him properly.

He snaps back to realization at the little distance between them. They look at each other before moving a few steps backwards.

"Yeah, I thought you would want to hear that." He looks at every directions but Yunho's.

"Of course, Changminnie. We have good teamwork, don't we?" 

Somehow he can only smile bitterly when he hears that. That's what their relationship is based on anyway.

"I guess we do. It's nice to meet you, hyung. I still have to go to next class. See you next time?"

He feels reluctant to let go of the younger man but he also needs to return to his practice.

"Certainly."

***

Apparently there's no time limit to the saying 'next time' as it has been several weeks since he last see Yunho. According to the information he inquires from his classmates, the nation's archery athletes are currently practising at France, although South Korea is considered as a country with a lot of top archers.

"Why would the spend extra money to train at foreign country when the gold medalist is from here?" He exasperatedly tells Kyuhyun when they hang around in his dorm that weekend.

"It be like that sometimes, Chwang. Plus, who knows maybe it is an invitation from the other party?"

He toys with his pillow, contemplating to call Yunho.

"The final papers will be in two weeks, don't Yunho hyung have to study for it? There will be a lot of things he needs to catch up."

"I'm sure there will be some sort of special way they use to mark his papers. Worry about yourself, he should have fun over there while he can. I envy him a lot."

"What do you mean by that?" He glares at his best friend in almost malicious manner.

"I mean, they are at France - where they have the city of love. Objectively, Yunho hyung is the most handsome in the team right? I bet even those European girls would fall for him." Kyuhyun wiggles his brows a few times, suggesting something that Changmin fears to even think about.

"Don't be silly. Screw off of my room, dude. I'm trying to study here."

"Oh, come on dude. You still have a lot of times to study. Let's just play Overwatch tonight?"

He is not in the mood to entertain Kyuhyun so he ignores the other before randomly picks one book and pretend to focus with it.

"Ugh, you sucks anyway. I'll find Minho to play with me." Kyuhyun sticks out his tongue at Changmin before moving to go out of his room.

"Yeah, I'm sure Minho would love to play with you." He says with dry tone.

"By the way, Chwang," Kyuhyun calls him from the door, "your book is upside down, man." Then he slams the door leaving Changmin staring at the book with widen eyes.

He pushes the book away from his laps and decides to lie down as he no longer feels like reading anything. His phone rings right beside his head when he is deep lost in thoughts, leading him to pick up the device in annoyance.

"Cho Kyuhyun, I'm very busy right now so I'd appreciate it if you bother someone else."

"Oh, sorry. I'll call you another time then." 

That is not Kyuhyun's voice, for sure. He hasn't heard that voice in weeks that he thought he has forgotten how it sounds like- which is a lie.

"Yunho hyung? Is that you?" He hears the typical Yunho-laugh echoes from the other side.

"Yeah, it's me. I can call you later if you're busy, Changmin-ah."

"No, it's okay, hyung. I was just pissed off with my friend." He hurriedly explains himself, in case Yunho decides to end the call.

"How have you been? I haven't heard from you for so long." His voice is so gentle that it almost makes Changmin's heart ache.

"Just the usual things, nothing's interesting. What about you, hyung? Is it fun there?"

"It's the same boring stuffs, I like it better at Seoul." Maybe because he hasn't talked to the man for quite some times, but there is a unmistakable tenderness behind his voice.

"Yeah, wish you are be here too. I mean, I can't be the only one who suffers with the classes."

"You're right. I'm sick of the foreign food already. I miss the weather there, food, mundane routines, family, friends... you." 

The silence following those words makes Changmin feels like there is a fire burning inside him, as his face for sure feels too warm.

"I guess,,, I miss you too. It is quite lonely to sit alone during the class, you know."

"I can't sit with you in class anymore after this. We are scheduled to return three days before the finals start."

His heart drops at that. They won't see each other for the rest of the semester as they are taking different paper except one.

"It's been a nice semester with you, hyung."

"You too, Changmin. I hope you'll ace your papers."

They exchange several more words before they end the call. It is a little complicated but he feels a lot more empty after talking to Yunho.

***

It's finally the day of the last paper and he has been looking for Yunho the entire time outside of the hall. They are due to enter the hall in 5 minutes and there is no Yunho in sight. He wants to at least wish the man luck before they start the paper.

When the students are told to come into the room, he gazes back one last time before entering the hall. 

Everyone is already at their respective tables when Yunho dashes into the room. A wide smile blooms on Changmin's face before Yunho even notice him but when their eyes meet each other, his smile is even more gleaming.

Yunho pumps his fist to signalise and mouth 'good luck' to him where he nods ecstatically in return.

He answers the question in ease as he can feel his heart thrum almost in happy beat. It ends faster that he realises but once the papers are all submitted, almost half of the students crowd around Yunho. 

He can't help to feel at lost because he doesn't know what did he expect when he saw Yunho earlier. He stares at their direction for a while before sighing and leave the hall.

It is the end of semester. Yunho is a third year student so if he is lucky, he probably will share a class or two with him next time although he knows if it is up to his luck, it might not happen.

Once he steps out of the building, he hears a voice that makes his stop in his track. He thought it might be his wishful thinking but when he hears it again he quickly turn around and see Yunho is running a little to reach him.

He is stunned even when Yunho has finally stands in front of him.

"Hey, what are you in the rush for? I thought I won't be able to catch you."

"I saw you're busy with others so I might as well see you around another time?"

"When? Will it be next semester?"

Yunho's laughter halt when he sees Changmin doesn't respond to his words. He sighs before standing next to each other and resume their walks.

"You know that you can contact me first right? Even if it is not school related."

"I don't want you to be annoyed by it, hyung. You have a lot of friends that would want to reach you everytime."

"I won't get annoyed by you, Changminnie. I feel you're acting distant since you rarely keep in touch with me."

"What should I talk to you about even if I contact you first? We are friends because we share the same class and become project partner, that's all."

Yunho stops his steps and look at Changmin who is a few steps in front of him, who finally looks back at him when he realises the man is not trailing him.

"So are you going to cut contact with me if we no longer share any class together?"

"I will still be your friend if you want me to, hyung?"

"I don't want to be your friend, Changmin."

He is taken aback by those words that is feels like his tongue is tied up for him voice his word.

"I don't want to be your friend, Changmin." He repeats it softly this time, looking directly into Changmin's eyes with fallen face.

"What do you mean, hyung?" He could only whisper it as he feels too tired all of sudden.

"You might think it is disgusting, or weird. But I like you more than a friend. Even when I'm aware you're a guy!" 

After he says those words, Yunho walks pass Changmin as he cannot bear the looks Changmin would give him.

Changmin who is stupefied by the confession stays in his spot until he realise Yunho is long gone. He rushes to find Yunho who is already standing next to his car, ready to slip into it.

"Hyung, wait." He knows the man can hear him but it seems like he is detemined to ignore him. 

"Hyung, I told you to wait." Before Yunho can slam the door, he manages to hold it. He takes times to regulate his breathe while looking at Yunho but Yunho has decided that the steering wheel is more interesting than him.

"Hyung, what did you say just now?" 

"I'm sure you don't need me to repeat it, Changmin."

The conversation doesn't seem like it would work as Yunho still refuses to look at him. Braving himself, he clasps Yunho's hand on the steering wheel and stroke it with his thumb gently.

"Well, I need you to repeat it for me to have the courage to say it back to you, hyung."

This time he manages to capture the man attention.

"What?"

"You heard me, hyung." He tilts his head playfully this time, trying to calm his own nerves.

"Well, umm, Changmin-ah, I ... I like you, a lot." His gaze tremble a little when he searches for Changmin's, hesitant but filled with hopes.

"I'm no better than you right now. Me too, hyung." Despite his early confidence before, he couldn't bring himself to look at Yunho at the moment.

"Say it clearly, Changmin-ah. I want you to say it properly." He pulls away his hand from Changmin's hand place it on the side of other's face. 

"I like you a lot, hyung. More than a friend, more than a junior student, more than a project partner." His voice breaks embarassingly towards the end but the smile he receives from Yunho makes it feels worth it.

"Thank you, Shim Changmin."

Slowly, the close the gaps between them. They were hesitant but when they see the looks in each other eyes, slowly they tilt their head to find the right angle and let their lips touch each other for the first times.

***

2 years later

"Congratulations,son !"

"Thank you, dad." He squirms a little when he notices the pride and happiness in his father's voice.

"Congratulations, son. We know you could do it." This time it is his mother who hugs him with teary eyes.

"Mom, why are you crying? Don't be like that," he rest his head on his mother's shoulder, bending a little to reach her height.

"Oppa, you're the worst. Do you need to graduate as the top your department? You're making it hard for us."

"Stop dating around when you're at school. I bet you could do it too." He pinch his sister's cheek just to annoy her.

"Get your hand off me, you're ruining my makeup! As if you don't score a boyfriend yourself." She glares at Changmin and rubs her cheeks, trying to fix her face foundation.

"Sooyeon, stop teasing your brother. Now that she mentions it, where is Yunho? I haven't seen him today." Her mom looks at him interestedly, no longer brimming with tears.

"Uh, he told me last night that he could not make it. Their team will only return tomorrow." 

If he were to be honest, he is actually disappointed when Yunho informed him that he couldn't attend his graduation but he tries to be understanding as Yunho had just been crowned as the top archer in the world's ranking second year in a row, something he has been working hard for.

"Oppa, be careful. Your boyfriend might fall for another now that both of you will be busy with works." 

"Shim Sooyeon, watch out your mouth. Don't jinx this day with that kind of words."

They've been dating for two years but sometimes he can still feel the insecurity deep inside him. Just like any relationships, there are times where they would bicker and fight, but it usually would settle with one of them concedes in defeat. Most of the times it would be Yunho who would give in and apologize, even sometimes it is not his fault which would make Changmin feels guilty. Yunho has been too nice to him thus making him fear that the man would have it enough with him and break their ties.

"Changmin, don't think too much about your sister's words. She's talking nonsense." It is his father, gripping his shoulder trying to calm him.

"Sure, I'm fine."

It is quite difficult to come out to his family at first but they have been unexpectedly supportive of him. He still remember how it went, it was 6 months after they started dating.

His mother and sisters were shocked when he told them about their relationships but they received it better than he had imagined. His father, he was eerily quiet when he broke the news and he asked to speak with Yunho in private after their meals. He was so scared at that time even when his mother and sisters tried to soothe him but he only breathed in relief when he saw Yunho and his father came back while laughing together, with his father having his arm across Yunho's shoulder.

They came out to Yunho's family about two weeks later, when Yunho brought him back to Gwangju. Yunho's father is a man with conservative view so Yunho had warned him to stay calm no matter what his father would say. He still remember that Yunho's mother had hug him tightly immediately, and his father had only nodded when they told him. Before they left the house, his father had hugged him and told him for them to be good to each other.

Over time, they had meet each other parents a few more times and the last time he saw Yunho's father, the man had call him 'son' for the first time which almost made him tear up, if Yunho's mother had not rub his arm gently to reassure him.

"You don't look good with serious face, stop it. I'm sorry if you're still thinking out it." 

"Who says it's because of you? I'm thinking where should we eat after this."

"Uh, you're annoying as usual. I shouldn't apologize -- oh! Oppa, look!" Sooyeon excitedly slaps his arm while pointing to their right. 

What he sees make his jaw drop in disbelief - also his blood is colouring his face. Yunho is walking towards them with an eye-catchingly large flower bouquet in dashing suit.

"Mr. Shim, Mrs. Shim, Sooyeon-ah, nice to see you here. Sorry that I'm late." Yunho bows to his parents politely eventhough he is no longer stranger to them.

"It's okay, Yunho. We know you're busy but Changmin told us that you couldn't come today?" His father hold Yunho's arm in familiar manner.

"I manage to catch the last flight last night so I just landed 2 hours ago. I regret that I still cannot make it on time," he turned to face Changmin apologetically.

"It's already hard enough for you to be here. We'll give some space for you boys." His parents and sister leave which makes them standing stiffly side by side.

"Here, I got some flowers for you." Yunho hands him the bouquet and he accepts him without any words.

"You can stop looking starstruck now, Changdol. I haven't met you for over a month, I would like it better if you say something to me." He grins while secretly wrapping his hand around Changmin's, which is still tightly holding the flower.

"Why would you bring something this big, it attracts too much attention, you fool."

"Well, I want you to have the best bouquet compare to anyone else, Changdollie. Do you like it?" Unaffected by Changmin's word, Yunho still grin happily at Changmin. 

"It's from you, of course I like it. Thank you, hyung." His words might sound a little apathetic, but he cannot hide his shy gaze when he thank the man.

"Anything for my Changdol. Changmin-ah, sorry I couldn't arrive earlier."

"This is more than enough, I couldn't ask for more." He gives a small smile to Yunho, conveying his appreciation.

They chat for a little more before Yunho stops someone who is near them, asking that person to take some picture for both of them. After he is satisfied with the pictures, he motions for them to walk to his car.

There are lesser people here as most people are still around the auditorium. Yunho opens the door for him before moving to the driver's seat.

"Hey, I haven't congratulate you in person for passing the interview."

"It's still hard to believe I got the job. Luckily I'd only start in two weeks so there is still times for me to adjust."

"How do you feel now that you're going to be part of working world?" 

"I have mix feelings. Excited, eager, anxious, worry. Once I start working we will spend even lesser time together though." His expression dims a little at that thought.

Yunho leans in to kiss him once he finishes his sentence. They spend a few minutes getting lost in each other's presence before he pulls away to breathe.

"That was... intense." He says breathlessly.

"You know that is nothing, Changminnie." Yunho kiss him briefly before leaning back.

"Pervert."

Yunho doesn't answer him this time. Instead, he is busy searching for something in his dashboard.

"Don't tell me you lost your passport, hyung." He intends to roll his eyes, knowing his boyfriend that wouldn't be too farfetched. He doesn't get the chance as he notices the box in Yunho's palm.

"I actually plan to give this to you later but apparently I forgot that there are two people in this relationship. There must be times you feel lonely and unsure when I'm too busy to be there for you. I want you to know that no matter what happens, you will be the only one I want."

For the second time today, he is speechless by Yunho's action.

"Shim Changmin, will you stay with me forever?"

He couldn't trust his voice so he only nods his head, eyes moist with unshed tears.

Yunho takes his left wrist and hook the bracelet securely. Bringing Changmin's hand to his mouth, he kisses the palm before placing that hand on his own cheek.

"I love you."

This time it is Changmin who leans towards Yunho. Before he locks their lips, he whispers the words that is only for them to hear.


	2. arc #2

He fixes his scarf, looking up through the glass roof appreciating the white snow that is covering the objects on the vast surface.

"Shouldn't it stop by now?"

He hears a grumble from behind him. Turning his head slightly to get a glimpse of the stranger, the first thing that comes into view is the edge of a long coat. His looks up to finally see the face clearly - whose eyes are currently glaring at the view in front of them, almost viciously.

He is about to move his stare when then glaring eyes just now turns to look at him, catching him off guard. The glares that was there mere seconds ago melt into a softer look, looking like an a deer caught in a headlight.

"Sorry, I'm just talking to myself - about the snow, if you're not clear."

"I get it. Must have beenn a rough flight just now, huh?" He smiles a little bit towards the stranger.

"Yeah, something like that." He answers awkwardly this time while raising his hand to swipe back his hair, which has become long enough to conver his eyes.

"Me too, my sister just got her first baby daughter. I'm excited to meet her." He exclaims excitedly.

"You doesn't seem to mind that you are still stuck here instead, though?"

"I like it a lot when it's snowing. It refreshes my mind a lot to watch snow falls from the sky".

"Even it slows down the traffic?"

"Even it slows down the traffic." He repeats the sentence with a confident tone.

Finally, the man snorts out before showing an impressed smile. The smile gives him a different impression then when he is wearing a scowl on his face.

"It's nice that you still view snow as something refreshing, even if you're an adult man."

"I heard this is the first snow of the year."

"Does it makes any difference?" He asks confusedly as he feels like there's no different whether it is the first snow or not.

Yunho grins widely this time, pleased that it seems like at least the man in front of him has opened up a little.

"There is no expiry date for Christmas miracle. Be careful, Santa might skip you if you're complaining about the snow."

"It's only November, plus I might encounter the grinch first before I get to meet Santa." This time he chuckle, entertain by the image a Santa scolding him for ruining any miracle.

"You'll be fine. I think even the grinch would be charmed by your appearance."

His face flush in record time by the spontaneous compliment. He doesn't get to retaliate as Yunho already happily points at a car approaching them.

"Oh, my ride is here. Wanna come along?"

"Thank but it's okay, my friend is on the way."

"Then, I will leave first. Pleasure to meet you."

"Yeah, it's nice to chat with you too."

Yunho waves a little at him before going inside the car. He looks at the reflection of the man inside the side mirror, who happens to coincidentally looks into his direction.

"Your friend?" Hojun asks him.

"Someone whom I met by chance."

***

He stares as the car drive away until it is lost from sight. It's quite out of character for him but it is unexpectedly quite fun chatting with that stranger. He looks up towards the sky without any scowl this time.

'Does a miracle even exist?"

He waits for another 30 more minutes before his friend's car stop right in front of him.

"Hyung, did you wait long? Kyuhyun insisted on stopping by to get the came before coming here."

He takes the backseat, getting himself comfortable by placing a soft cushion behind his head.

"Nah, it's not that bad." He answers before closing his eyes, trying to take some nap.

"Wait a minute? Aren't you going to snap at me or something at least?" Kyuhyun's face pop up from the side of shotgun seat- trying to catch his attention.

"I'm too tired for that anyway. Let me be for now, we'll deal with it at later time." Still with his eyes shut, he starts to lean towards the window - listening to the hum of heater inside the car.

"Wow, did he lose his mind after having all those German beer?" The question is directed towards Minho this time.

"Be grateful he doesn't bite your head off hyung, although we are more than late already." Minho only glance at Kyuhyun for second before focusing on the road.

"I really don't understand him sometimes."

***

"Do we really need to have dessert at different cafe after our lunch, Donghae?" He frown at his friend who has managed to convince him to tag along with him today.

"We need to have good food to be energized throughout the day, hyung. I can assure you they have the best strawberry cakes here - with a lot of variations."

Yunho rolls his eyes at the answer, as that is the point that Donghae keep using to lure him everytime.

"You said the same thing about the cafe we went last week, Donghae."

"This time it's different. Do you know who suggest me this place?" Donghae pushes open the door for both of them and let Yunho enters first.

"Who?"

"Hyukjae!" His answers with his voice that is probably a little to loud.

"That's it. I'm out." He tries to escapes but Donghae might be stronger than he expected, if his grip on his arm is a proof.

"We're already here. Come on, hyung." He tries his best puppy eyes on Yunho when the man looks at him trying to protest.

"Stop it, just get anything for me before I change my mind." 

"Yes, sir." 

He only shakes his head when Donghae mocks salute him. Choosing a table near the window, he taps his finger on the table while gazing outside - noticing that the snow covered the most of the sidewalk.

Around 10 minutes later, Donghae brings their cake and hot chocolate, ready to go.

"I swear, your choice is no different than my secretary."

"I'll tell Tiffany you talk about her behind her back." He passes Yunho his cup, their cake is in the same bag so he decides to carry it for them.

"I didn't say it's a bad thing, though." He smirks as he manage to drop the accusations.

"You have the intention too." Donghae still pressed on the topic, as they're heading to the door.

"I didn't." 

As both of them are distracted, they fail to notice that someone push the door from outside. The impact cause the hot chocolate spills on Donghae's outer coat.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't notice you were there."

Donghae is too stunned with the turn of event so Yunho to step in for him.

"No, we're the one who weren't not paying attention. Did you get splash by the drink?"

He only look at the person once he finished his sentence.

"Oh?"

Both of them blurt it out at the same times when they finally notice each other.

"Do you know him?" Donghae is finally coherent enough to form some words, looking back and forth between them.

"Well, I --," his words is interrupted by a voice from behind.

"Do you need to cause a scene at my cafe, dude?"

All three of them turn to look at the voice only for him to receive another shock.

"Heechul hyung?"

"Kyuhyun-ah."

They once again speak at the same time causing all eyes directed at both of them. He takes the chance to speak first when he notices the other guy also stare at him with questioning look.

"Why are you here, hyung?"

"I'm a co-owner of this cafe, along with Kyuhyun. Didn't Donghae told you?"

He turns to look at Donghae now, with one raise brow wordlessly asking his friend.

"I kinda forget? I mean, you know Heechul hyung is never serious with anything right?"

"I'm listening." Heechul directs his stare towards Donghae, which the other only shrugs as response.

"Hey, we are late already, dude." Yunho now taps Donghae on his shoulder, while showing his watch.

"Oh, crap. I can't walk around with this stain." He points at the obvious stain on his beige coat.

"It's okay, you can borrow mine. It's too cold to walk without one right now. We'll clean it for you." Kyuhyun generously offers them while pointing to the staff room, ready to take his coat.

"Hey, you don't have time to do laundry. Who are going to make the drinks?" Heechul intercepts him before he can move any further.

"That's why I'm offering my coat. Since he is directly involved, our Changmin here would personally do it for us."

"Uhh,, I guess it's my fault anyway." He mutters as everyone is focusing on him.

Yunho wants to say it is not his mistake but Kyuhyun is faster to end the discussion.

"It's settle, then. Please wait a for a moment, I'll take the coat."

When Kyuhyun left to the back, Heechul tilts his head analysing the scene in front of him.

"We're sorry for troubling you, although it's not your false." Yunho looks at the man who is standing facing him, feeling like they have done him wrong. He nudges Donghae to say something.

"Yeah, dude. I can go myself only if I have the time-- -" 

Yunho stomps his feet before he can finish his sentence. 

"What kind of apology is that?" He hisses under his breathe, lowering his head to Donghae's height.

"It's okay. I guess there is no winter miracle for me afterall." He chuckles a little at the end.

"I thought you forgot about it." Yunho whips his head grinning at Chabgmin, forgetting that he is about to nag Donghae.

"It's not that everyday I got reminded about being skipped in Santa's list." 

"You're a kind person, I'm sure you're on his list." 

Kyuhyun comes back just in time.

"Here. Leave yours to Changmin, you can pick it up later."

Donghae gleefully accepts it and hands it stained winter coat. Yunho looks at him disapprovingly for his lack of manner, once again thanking Changmin and Kyuhyun on Donghae's behalf before leaving.

***

He comes back around 6 hours later, when the sky is already dark. He can feel the comforting heat once he walks through the door.

Kyuhyun is making drinks from a group of teenage boys of the counter, at the table in corner of the cafe he can see the familiar faces from earlier. Yunho and Donghae are sitting there while chatting animatedly with Heechul.

He approaches them quietly and it is Yunho who notices his presence first among them. He stands up and pulls a seat for him, he feels his heart warms a little - probably Kyuhyun has accidentally set the heater a little too high.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, here is your coat." He hands the bag to Donghae with both hand, lowering his head in apology.

"Thank you. It's okay, we're catching up with Heechul hyung here. Have a seat, your friend will join us again once he's done with the customer."

He raises his head to look at them. When Yunho nods a little, gesturing him to sit so he finally take the place beside him awkwardly.

"So, that is how Yunho hyung found the evidence and convict that bastard." Donghae tells his story energetically while moving his arms as if he is handcuffing someone.

"I told you I only manage to make the conclusion thanks to the seniors' helps."

"I believe Donghae more in this matter, Yunho-ya. You should take the credit whenever you have the chance." Heechul takes a sip from him steaming cup of hot chocolate, looking at Yunho as if he is giving him a wise advice.

"It is a teamwork, and I'm just helping him with the case." He reaches behind his head and rubs his neck, looking uncomfortable for being given the acknowledgement.

"Stop giving all the credit just because he has a few more years of seniority." Heechul reaches out across the table to slap Yunho's arm a little.

"Hey, I told you not to finish the story without me." Kyuhyun comes to the table, bringing a cup of another hot chocolate for Changmin and take a seat beside him.

"You took too long that we have to continue with it first, dude." Donghae says with his full mouth as he has just stuffed soaked marshmallows a moment before.

"Someone needs to make sure the shop is running smoothly," Kyuhyun says, glancing Heechul who is right beside him.

He only raise both his hands as a sigh of defeat which only cause Kyuhyun to give a long sigh.

"Whatever. Oh, I haven't introduce Changmin properly to you guys right? Shim Changmin, my best bud ever since college. And Changmin, these guys here are Jung Yunho and Lee Donghae, they're prosecutors so be careful man."

Kyuhyun playfully nudge him at the last few words. He stares at both them in amazement.

"Wow, that is so cool. It's a pleasure to know you, Yunho-ssi, Donghae-ssi."

"There's no need to be too formal here, Changmin-ah." It is Heechul who points out the way he address them.

"Yup, that's right. Just consider we're all friends here. What do you do, Changmin?" Yunho asks him this time, turning his body in his seat a little to face him.

"Well, it's nothing much compare to you guys." Suddenly he feels out of place, feeling rather inferior compare to them.

"He's an author, hyung." Kyuhyun answers for him much too his annoyance.

"Who knows maybe we have read your book." Donghae inquires, peeking at him from Yunho's side.

He tries to avoid the question that Kyuhyun once again answers for him.

"Have you heard of 'During the Full Moon' series? It's some kind of mystery, psychological series."

"You're 'Curious Man'?" Yunho looks at him in disbelief.

"You have heard of it, hyung?" He shyly looks at Yunho, quite shock that the man knows his pseudonym.

"Heard of it? He's an avid reader, Changmin-ah. He spent three full hours last Sunday explaining the case in the latest book to me." Donghae explains to him, as Yunho is only staring at him speechlessly.

"Ah, the one that was launched last week." He adds awkwardly as Yunho is still staring at him.

"It supposed to be launched last month if you didn't run away to Germany, buddy."

"Oh? Was it that time where we met at the airport?" Yunho finally asks, when he snaps back to reality.

"Yeah, I just came back at that time. My editor was going crazy that we had to push back the publishing date." He meekly recalls the event. It feels like he can still hear the screeching voice when he told her he was not at Korea at that time.

"That's a coincidence. Didn't you have conference there last month, hyung?" Donghae now turns to Yunho, suddenly remember that his friend also had been sent there around that time.

"Yeah, we probably shared the same return flight at that time," Yunho trying to remember that day they met.

"You could've met earlier it seems." Kyuhyun grins at both of them, noting the flow of event.

"I still cannot believe you are 'Curious Man'. He never held a fansign so I don't know how he looks like. I'm your super fan." Yunho says excitedly with cheery voice, holding out a hand to him asking for a handshake which he returns with amused laugh at the other's reaction.

"It's an honour for me that you read my books, hyung."

"Changmin, you owe me big time. Not only I have to listen to his analysis everytime you release a book. He also ask me to give theory about the author." Donghae pouts at him while glaring at Yunho.

"What do you think the author would look like?" He weirdly is a little reluctant to let go of the warmth of Yunho's hands, but at least that man is still looking at him.

"I really thought he is a grumpy old man who have experienced a lot in life. I never imagined it is someone who is younger than me, even with a handsome look." Yunho comments casually but it causes Changmin to choke on his drink.

"That's why your mom thinks you're playing for the other team, Yunho-ya." Heechul says after Yunho offers Chamgmin some tissues to wipe his mouth.

"Oh, what is this all about?" Kyuhyun shifts closer to Heechul, eager to listen to the story.

"He was hospitalised after he passed out due to fatigue last year and I talked to him mom when I visited him. 'I've had enough of this boy. I just want him to bring home someone who can cook and take care of him. I don't care anymore whether it's a boy or a girl.' That's what she said." He even use higher tone when he imitates Yunho's mother which cause Kyuhyun to roar in laughter.

"Your mom is super chill, hyung." Kyuhyun gives Yunho two thumbs up while his eyes are still in tears due to his uncontrollable laughter.

"I've never heard of this one. Hyung, is Hojun hyung your boyfriend?" Donghae enthusiastically asks Yunho.

"He is just a friend, Donghae-ah. Gross, I've never think about him that way."

"What about Siwon? He owns a restaurant right?" It's Heechul, who throws another unfamiliar name in the conversation.

"Hyung ! Hell would freeze before I date him. And don't be fooled by that restaurant, he's the owner but I can tell you for sure he can't cook at all - his line of chefs are the real heroes."

"You would look good with Siwon hyung, I think." 

"I don't think so, Donghae. Please, just swallow those marshmallows before you talk." Yunho looks at Donghae who is talking with his mouth full, again.

"I know a lot of people who would want you as a suitor, hyung. There's this girl, Hyorin. She's nice and a good cook." Kyuhyun suggests to Yunho, ready to take out his phone to show a picture.

"Kyu, she'll move to US next month." Changmin reminds Kyuhyun about an important fact he might've forgot.

"Oh." Realisation dawns in his eyes after he listen to those reminder.

"What about Tiffany? You always say she's good at her job and you can even spend a lot of time together at work since she's your secretary." Donghae tries to convince Yunho by gripping his arm to prove his point.

"Oh, I've met her before. She's quite pretty." Heechul says after he manage to visualize the girl they're talking about.

Changmin feels like his heart drops at thee mention but he also doesn't know why he would feel that way.

"I will find a partner once I'm ready. Stop suggesting random people as if they are willing to date me." Yunho finally stops their unhelpful discussion with a long sigh.

"Pretend you don't hear it from me but you really got the look and other spec to attract others, hyung." Donghae's words incites another laughter from Heechul a d Kyuhyun.

Yunho use both of his hand to pinch Donghae's cheeks. 

"Let's talk about something else now. Sorry, Changmin-ah. You must be weirded out, you haven't said anything for a while." Yunho turns to him after he has released his hands from Donghae.

"It's nothing, hyung." He ducks his head trying to hide his face from the others.

After that they moves on to a different topic before Yunho and Donghae leaves an hour later.

***

It's the Christmas eve. He has spent some extra hours at the office just now trying to prepare for his next hearing. He looks around him and notices that there are a lot of couples, families and group of friends who are laughing and playing around together - looking free of worry and stress.

'I can't be the only one who is troubled by work today.' He groans internally.

He stops by a bookstore to find some reading materials to ease his mind of the latest case a little. There are not that many people inside the store but it is brightened up with festive moods by all the Christmas themed decorations.

He heads directly to his favourite section but he notices a familiar figure from the corner of his eyes. 

"Changmin?"

The guy jerks his head up and walks closer to him instantly.

"Hyung, did you just get off from work?"

"Yeah, I had to look into a case just now. Are you alone?" He looks around trying to find Changmin's company.

"Yup, no one would want to think about work at this hour on Christmas eve."

"Law section?" He just notices the books in Changmin's hand.

"I need to do research for a new material. You must find it funny that someone likes me is hanging around this corner, right?" He looks at Yunho with a wry smile.

"Why would I think so? You are free to be at any section, Changmin-ah." Yunho comforts the man but cannot help to give him a stern look, displease with his insecurity.

"Even if you caught me at adult books section?" He eases the tension by making a joke, which makes Yunho's chuckle.

"Hey, I'm not going to judge anyone about their preference." 

Both of them broke into laughter which turns some heads into their direction.

"We better stop before we are banned at this shop. What are you buying, hyung?"

"I'm looking for some books as I have some free times tomorrow. Any suggestion?" He asks Changmin, as he considers Changmin would've known some good books.

"What type of book do you want?"

"Anything that contains mystery should do." They start to walk together, once Changmin put the books he has picked inside a basket.

"Seriously? It's Christmas, hyung. Are you trying to abuse your brain even on holiday?" He recommends several books for Yunho although he complains out his choice.

"I can't help it, it's probably an addiction by now."

After they have paid for the books, they exit the store and unconsciously starts to walk together.

"Do you have any plan, Changmin-ah? You can leave if you want, don't let me hold you back." He says after walking several steps walking together, realising that Changmin might have another plan.

"Not really. I went out only to buy for the books. What about you, hyung?" He looks at the man at his side, they're around the same height so when Yunho turns to look at him they happen to look right into each other eyes.

Yunho quickly looks away, as he feels like he would be hypnotised by the doe-like eyes if he stares a second longer.

"I'm still in suit so I guess I'm in worse predicament."

"Where does it went wrong? Hyung, seems like you're not on Santa's list too as you're here with me." He says wittily as he remembers their first conversation together.

"It could have been worse. At the very least there's someone by my side right now so it's good enough." 

"Eh? Does it count when we barely met each other for three times, which allow me to point out - all by pure coincidence?"

"Like I said, it could've been worse. I could be with a total stranger so it's not that bad that I'm with you right now." He grins while presenting the fact, before he looks at Changmin beside him.

"We're probably a name away from being a stranger, hyung." He tries to bring up another point, when he in actuality already break into a smile.

"Sorry to say but you're wrong though."

"How is that so?" He now openly grin challenging Yunho, prematurely celebrating his victory in his mind.

"I know your name is Shim Changmin. You're an author- in fact, the author of my favourite series. You're younger than me by two years as you're the same with Kyuhyun, who is Heechul hyung business partner. We were in the same flight from Germany back to Korea but we only met each other at Incheon Airport. It's more than a name away now, am I right?" He looks proudly at Changmin, whose proud smile has falter.

"I hate to say this but I can understand the feeling of your opponent in court, hyung." He put a hand to his chest, displaying a look of defeat.

"Aww, don't feel bad, Changminnie. Let me buy you some food as a consolation." He point a family restaurant a few metres in front of them.

"I'll eat to my heart content, hyung. Let me warn you that I haven't had my dinner yet."

"Good. Consider it as our eve's dinner together. Let's go." He ushers Changmin to follow him excitedly.

"Are you serious?" Changmin notes that Yunho is actually not teasing him so he pauses his steps to look at the young prosecutor.

"Yes. Now come on, let me have the honour of buying you food tonight."

They have the dinner together and talk about a lot of things which lead to a lot of impromptu debate. Much to both of their delight, they happen to naturally click and share the same view in a lot of things despite having different personality. Their conversation was interrupted by the shop owner, having to inform them that as it is Christmas eve they would like to close earlier than usual. 

Yunho glance to his watch and notice there is only a few minutes before midnight. After settling the bill, they approach the parking lot. Their cars are parked quite far apart but they decide to exchange contacts before going seperate way. He rings Changmin's phone after the other adds his number into Yunho's contacts.

"That's my number, call me if you happen to break a law or something." He says after disconnecting the call, waiting for Changmin to save his number.

"Sure, hyung. No worry, it'll be a long time before I have to contact you for that reason. I'm a law abiding citizen." He slips his phone into his coat and taking out is car key, ready to leave.

"Good to hear. Bye, Changmin-ah."

"Merry Christmas,hyung." He says with one last wave.

Not long after they go to their separate way, they hear something from a distance. Firework. The sky is lit with burst of colourful fireworks with a lot of different shape.

Turning to find the other, Yunho notices Changmin is still looking at the sky almost in dazed. His lips subconsciously curls into a smile at the picturesque view in front of him.

Sensing that he is being stared, he looks around and notice Yunho is still at the same spot, unmoving, looking at his direction.

Separated by a few row of cars, both of them gaze at each other surrounded by fresh snow and ligh reflection from the fireworks from above giving sparkles on shadows around them.

***

Donghae force his way into his apartment in the evening of December 31st.

"Hyung, let's hang out and have fun. Who in the world spend the whole day on freaking New Year reading a case file?"

He snatches the papers from Yunho and put it far away from his reach.

"Donghae, I'm sure you can hang out with others without me. Now, give me back my case." Still in his plain shirt and jogger pants sitting on the white sofa, he lazily looks up at Donghae who is currently intruding his space.

"I'm being tasked to 'invite' you so please do me a favour. Get ready because they told us to come by dinner time." He pulls the other's arm, trying to drag him out of his seat.

"What do I get if I come along?" He asks with a smirk, trying to make a deal with Donghae.

"Hyung !"

"Don't blame me, you know there must be something in exchange to drag me out today."

"I'll help you finalise the document for this case, are we good now?" He offers, gritting his teeth towards the end.

"You're the best, Lee Donghae!"

Yunho springs to his feet and enter his room, getting ready for the night's out. Donghae offers to drive them, which he gladly accepts.

"Where are we going?" He asks after Donghae enters the car.

"Siwon's restaurant, the new branch at Gangnam. His treat so lucky us."

He whistles at that. 

"He has good hunch for this thing, Gangnam for sure isn't some cheap location."

"I can still be your wingman."

"Stop it, brat."

***

"Finally, our topshot prosecutors are here!"

There are only familiar faces at the table but he notices some new addition at the table.

"Kyuhyun? Changmin?"

"Hi, Yunho hyung. Nice to meet you again." Kyuhyun raises a glass to him and nod his head a little.

"It's unexpected to see you guys here." He take the seat opposite to Changmin at the round table.

"We have something to do at the store just now so Heechul hyung told us to come along." Kyuhyun explains, and by the look of it he gets along perfectly with the others. He glances at Changmin next to Kyuhyun, who is mostly giggling while listening some stories from Kangin. 

He is about to take pour himself some drinks when someone gives him a suprise hug from the back, a pair of arm encircles his shoulders.

"Long time no see, man." It's Siwon. Seconds later he lets go of the hug but he still wraps one arm around Yunho's shoulder as he takes a seat to his left.

"Hey, isn't it you who have been busy everytime we hang out." He pats the other thigh several times.

"I was busy setting up this branch, but hey, I have a lot of free time now." 

"Congratulations. It's been quite some times since I stop at your restaurant." He grins, bringing a glass to his lips to have a taste.

"Glad that you know it yourself. My mom has been asking about you." 

"Siwon-ah, do you need us to give you some space?" Heechul jumps into the conversation before it could trawl longer.

"Ah, I'll be sad if you do that hyung. Do you like the appetizers?" He pulls his arm from Yunho, resting it on the table.

"It could be better." Ryeowook says, making a show wiping his lips with a napkin.

"Wonder what could I do to improve it, mind giving me some tips?" Siwon dramatically put a hand across his chest. 

Ryeowook is a food critic thus making it a common occurrence for them to witness his banter with Siwon. Yunho brings his hand to cover his mouth when he chuckles watching their antics.

"I'll leave a note later."

After that, they continue catching up with each other while waiting for the main course to be served. Even with Changmin and Kyuhyun first time joining them, they never forget to include them in the conversation to make them feel welcomed.

During everyone else is enjoying their meals, he notice Changmin doesn't seem to enjoy his food as much. Grabbing the pepper as it is nearest to him, he calls out Changmin's name in whisper and hands it to him.

"Eh, did you ask for pepper, Chwang? I got one in front me." Kyuhyun points the shaker near him.

"I just thought he might want some. He likes spicier food right?" Yunho explains as he feels like he might've put Changmin in awkward situation.

"Yeah, he likes - oh? How did you know, hyung?" He is about to confirm the claim before he realises that they never mention about it before.

"I told him the other, Kyu. Now, please continue eating your food." 

"I don't think we talk about food preference when we were at the cafe last time, though." Heechul adds in, looking at Yunho suspiciously.

"Hyung, you said you don't have time to go out everytime I ask you to join me. Did you hang out with Changmin behind my back?" Donghae turns to him with a pout.

He and Changmin look at each other, feeling like they're being interrogated by their friends when all eyes on the table now are directed at them.

 

"We met by chance, Donghae. It's not like I've been lying to you about my workload, you've seen the files on my desk yourself." He puts a hand on his friend's shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"Chwang, why didn't you tell me about this?" It's Changmin's turn having to deal with a clingy friend, Yunho smiles a little and shakes his head at the situation.

"It kind of slips my mind, it's not like I have to report everything to you, Kyu." Changmin grumbles, rolling his eyes before taking another bite.

"Hyung, did you buy him food?" Kyuhyun nosily asks Yunho much to Changmin dismay.

"I kinda do." He merely shrugs, answering it without thinking too much.

"See, I knew it. That's why you didn't tell me, right?"

"Kyuhyun, aren't you too old to complain about this?" He pokes the other's temple, to stop him from grumbling.

"Still."

"Doesn't Kyuhyun reminds you guys of Donghae?" Ryeowook asks, looking at everyone at the table for their agreement.

"He does, actually." Siwon nods thoughtfully, voicing his thoughts.

"I'm very much alive at the same table, thank you." Donghae glowers menacingly at Ryeowook. They continue to quarrel, making unappreciated remarks about each other. 

Yunho has been buried with too much works that he's glad he actually joins them tonight, even just by watching their argument as a bystander, it has erased some of the tension inside him. He leans towards Siwon when he is laughing too much when Donghae tosses a napkin directly at Ryeowook. As his laughter cease, he wipes away the tears on his cheeks as he has been laughing uncontrollably. 

He lifts his head to notice that Changmin has been staring at him. He smiles instinctively towards the younger man but he drops his gaze without returning the gesture.

Their dinner continue with more shenanigans from his friends. 

***

After they have their dessert, everyone either stay at their own table to chat among themselves or move their body to dance at the centre of the floor - a restaurant's special event for the new year. Everyone are having their share of the limitless drinks in waits for the new year countdown. Some of their friends are already at the dance floor showing off little skills they have to possibly charm the ladies - or gentlemen - who are ready to mingle.

What the others conveniently forget to mention or warn him is that Yunho is a lightweight drinker. He is already flush red after downing his second glass despite already having meal before. The ones who are staying at the table are Yunho, Siwon, Heechul and him, making him in a little awkward situation as not only he is the youngest but also the one they have only known for the shortest time.

Drinking with Heechul, he soon learn is a misery even with his high tolerance for alcohol. The guy will call for a refill as soon as they empty their glass - which is the reason Yunho is barely lucid. He0 pretty much slumps against Siwon - hardly contribute anything to the conversation.

Changmin knows himself well and he is clear of his preference - but somehow he despises the sight which makes him question himself whether he is homophobic of sorts. He is sure for his whole life he is quite open minded and he is not one who likes to judge others' choice as long as it is not an actual crime.

"Shim Changmin~"

Slowly facing Heechul, he notices the other man is looking at him with pride.

"As expected, I can count on you Changmin-ah."

"Wh- what?" He curses himself for stuttering as he actually has not been following what Heechul might have said.

"Look at them at dancing like a squid over there, it's better to sit and talk here like an adult we all are. That's why you're better than them." 

"I'd be worse than that if I were to be there, hyung." He sighs thinking about his non existent dance steps.

"That's not something to be ashamed of. You can ask Yunho to teach you later - when he is sober." He points at Yunho.

"Yunho hyung can dance?" He raises both eyebrows in bewilderment - doubtful of the fact Heechul has just delivered.

"He's simply the best- you'd feel like you've been sinning by just watching him dance." He clucks his tongue, reminiscing memories from their college days.

"Yeah, I think you're making up lies right now." He can't even picture Yunho - who looks so refine everytime he saw him - can actually dance.

"Heechul hyung isn't lying actually. When you got some spare times ask him to at least teach you some waltz moves. It's honestly art." Siwon who is still glued to Yunho supports Heechul's claim.

"And you know about this because..." Heechul drawls his words as a bait.

"Hyung, we attended his sister's wedding, remember?" 

By that sentence Changmin figures that they know each other's family members quite well.

Heechul doesn't get to say whatever his last word is as one of the waiter approaches Siwon to invite him to the front, getting ready for the countdown.

"Ah, Changmin, can you hold him for a moment?" He pushes Yunho who is probably half asleep on his back towards Changmin.

"Yeah, sure, hyung." 

Yunho snuggles closer to him, placing his head on his shoulder and hugging tightly one of his arm.

"Is he a koala?" Heechul takes another sip from his glass, leaving him to only stare incredulity at the older man.

Both of them pays attention to Siwon's short speech which is perfectly timed before the countdown begin.

"..., 9, 8, 7, ..."

Yunho stirs the noise around them increasingly getting louder , snuggling his cheek against Changmin's shoulder where he is resting his head on.

He prays that Yunho doesn't hear his heartbeat that is mimicking a drum, believing that he is actually more drunk than he initially thought.

When it reaches 0, he gazes down looking at Yunho as everyone is cheering and shouting but he smiles helplessly when he notices that Yunho is already deep asleep, unbothers by the chaos.

'I'm entering my 30s with unexpected way.'

***

Time flies and January comes to its end. He rushes to Heechul's cafe on late Saturday afternoon after receiving a call from the said man- describing it as 'urgent' situation.

Just as he walk through the door, Heechul glides from the counter happily grabs his hand and pulls him to the staff room.

"What is this all about?" 

"You know that I love you the most from all of our friend, right?" He asks while untying his apron.

"I'm not sure I want to know what's this all about but please just tell me what do you want, hyung."

"Yunho, Yunho. Do you know what month is this?" He is now talking in a sing song voice, bouncing on his heels.

"February? Oh, my birthday is in few more days so there's that."

"No wonder you still cannot find love, but that's a story for another day. Now, I need you to be a good boy and stand behind the counter while Kyuhyun makes the order. I have to find present for Gunhee, so good luck." 

In a record time, Heechul slings the apron to his head and grabs his bag before running away. Yunho can only blink at the spot where Heechul stood just now, dumbfounded at the situation.

"Yunho hyung, if you're done can you come out now? There's a line out here." Kyuhyun peeks his head through the door looking at him.

After punching 3 or 4 wrong orders, he finally get a grasp on how to operate the machine. Lucky for him, customers do not bother to complain when they are busy being captivated by his cheerful attitude despite making mistakes.

Well past 10 a familiar face appear in front of him with a confused look.

"Yunho hyung?"

"Hi Changminnie. You must have come here often, don't you?"

"Kinda. I need a breath of fresh air from all the writing. Where is Heechul hyung?"

"He went out to buy present for Gunhee."

"Who is Gunhee?"

"His cat?"

"His boyfriend."

He stares at Kyuhyun with bizarre as they answer it simultaneously with completely different answer.

"What?"

"His cat is Heenim, Kyuhyun-ah. Gunhee is his boyfriend."

"Oops- my bad. I mix up their name sometimes - there's too many 'Hee' in their names." He grins shamelessly even after making such mistakes.

"Oh, I never know Heechul hyung has a boyfriend." Changmin tries to remember if he ever heard that name comes up in any of their conversations but it seems like he has no such memories at all.

"He is one of the people I respect the most. They've been dating ever since they met in the army." Yunho explains, recalling the first time he met Gunhee and he knew that they are meant to be eventhough he didn't know much about him back then.

"I've met him a few times, he's really such a cool dude." As he spends a lot of time with Heechul, Kyuhyun naturally has met his boyfriend a few times when he comes to the shop or at Heechul's home.

"Ah, what do you want to order, Changmin?" He realises that he is supposed to take order before another customer comes to the counter.

"Just tell Kyuhyun I want the usual. It's been a rough week." He hands out his card to Yunho, who is still trying to figure out how should he keys in the order. Kyuhyun kindly helps him by guiding him while making the drinks.

"Isn't this too much caffeine for one drink? Will it be fine for you?" He concernly ask Changmin, finally aware the usually bright eyes look tired, 

"Definitely not okay. I couldn't produce even one page of any decent scenario for over one week - I'm officially suffering the worst writer's block I've ever had."

"Oh , Changminnie. I'm really sorry to hear that. Is there anything that I can do to help you?"

"I don't know what to do, I'm too tired." He fails to hide his dejected face, making Yunho's heart clenched in sorrow having to see him in this state.

"I'm directly involved in investigating a lot of cases and have interacted with real criminals, maybe I can help a bit? I can help you with the insights about their mentality or something?"

His eyes light up at the offer before it dims by a fraction after some consideration.

"I don't want to burden you with something trivial like this." He bites his lips, feeling guilty for selfishly wanting to accept the offer.

"You only need to accept it, I can always make some times for you." He gives a reassuring to Changmin, when he sees the man is still deliberating about it.

"If you say so, I'll happily accept the offer, hyung."

"Now that's all good, here's your coffee, buddy." Sensing that they have finished their conversation, Kyuhyun slides the drink to Changmin.

He moves aside to talk to Kyuhyun later, back to his usual self. Yunho gives them some privacy by busying himself with supplying the stock for sugar and creamer packets at the counter.

If only he notices that at that time Changmin is observing him with something more than gratefulness in his eyes.

***

"So what you are saying is, even such trivial action could actually trigger a person's murderous intent?" He probes with undisguised interest.

"That's what some of them admit during interrogation process."

They are at the restaurant that they went on the Christmas eve with Changmin's laptop in the middle of the table. They opt for a private table this time to avoid any unwanted interruptions.

"Hyung, be careful. Who knows what those criminals have in mind." His sincere looks of concern has probably shaken Yunho for a bit.

"I believe nothing would harm me as having my favourite author worries about me is a blessing more than I could ask for." He grins taking the chance to spin Changmin's words out of its original meaning - or not. He knows that in his line of work, it is inevitable to receive some threats but having Changmin expressing his concern is making him unusually happy.

"I don't want to lose a very useful source like you, hyung." 

They've been meeting at the same place everytime for several times already in order for him to help out with Changmin's writing. Lately, they've been talking about a lot more things even if it is not directly related to their work which makes him anticipates their meeting.

He has known over time that Changmin is not as shy as he appears to be. He is witty when he is comfortable enough to joke around someone but at the same time he never show any less respect to anyone even if it's a friend. It's a quality he has noticed in Changmin that makes him like spending time with the younger one a lot.

They continue to hang out even after Changmin in need of his assistance. Sometimes they would eat out together at any of cafe or restaurant but they also prefer to order food delivery and have their meal at each other's apartment.

There are times where they would only sit in silent, Changmin thrumming his fingers on the keyboard turning the idea in his mind to words and at the side he would read case file he has brought home.

Those simple routines naturally become a part of his life.

***

Seasons come and go and it is the publishing day of Changmin's latest book. He gets himself a copy during lunch that day and slip it into his briefcase. 

Despite spending a lot of time with the man during the book is in progress, he never sneak a look in respect for the writer and he doesn't want to spoil the content for himself. 

He can only congratulate Changmin through text that day as he has a court hearing in the morning which he receives a short 'good luck' in return. He feels that it is a little weird as Changmin usually text in elaborate way when wishing him luck but he assumes it is due to his own hectic schedule.

He wins the case. When it is announced by the judge, the first face that crosses his mind is Changmin which startles him. He doesn't realised since when that Changmin has become the first person he shares the joy in victory and the first person he comes to when he lose in hearing - albeit the latter occurence rarely happen.

As he is busy for the entire week he can only read the book when the weekend comes. He doesn't contact Changmin as much the entire week nor do they meet each other in the span of those 3 days.

After completing his exercise that morning, he starts his reading after he is freshened up with shower. Turning the page, he is taken aback by this new installment. It's as good as ever, but there is an obvious changes this time.

Changmin has never incorporated romance as the main element in his writing - at most he only mention it in passing. In this book, the main character actually gives some hint about having of romantic thoughts or probably just a fond feelings towards his companion companion, it is unclear even until the end of the book. He spends the entire day unmoving, lost in the world of words created by Curious Man.

He comes to realisation of his surrounding when he finish the entire book. He looks around him and surprise when he notice that it is almost 4 a.m. Only by then he feels the pain from him back after sitting still for too long. He lays on the sofa to sleep as it feels like he doesn't feel like making an effort to go to his bed.

***

He manages to sleep for a good 3 hours before starting his day. It's already past noon when he notice the book he has left on the coffee table. Reading through it once again, he decides it is probably his favourite now - but then again Changmin's latest book always top the previous one for him.

He reads through the synopsis at the back again and skims through the fifth page of the book. It's the acknowledgement for family and friends and those around him. He thought nothing about it until he read that one short paragraph.

'Thank you to the person who has changed my view on winter - the first snow from that year would always be my favourite. I never thought I'd feel like this but I'm lucky to fall for someone like you - I'm sorry for loving you more than I should.

It hits him like a storm why Changmin is distancing himself these last few days. It's a feeling he is scared to admit but he knows he couldn't let Changmin down - never in any lifetime if he could. Scrambling to grab the key, he drives to Changmin's - he wish he could teleport himself right in front of that man in a second.

He presses the button to the 15th floor impatiently, although he knows it won't help the elevator to move faster. Once he is in front of the door, he runs into Changmin who is already in his coat, ready to out before he could ring the bell.

"Changmin."

"Hyung, I ... I wasn't expecting - I mean, I didn't know you're coming."

"I do too."

The younger man only stares at him with confusion layering those pretty eyes, his mouth gaping to say something but nothing comes out.

"I never thought it would result in anything, but my feelings are the same with you, Changmin."

He stays frozen at the where he is standing so Yunho brace himself to take the initiative to step closer closing the distance. 

"I'm not sure how we'll proceed from here but I'm willing to give it a try - there's nothing I wouldn't do if it's for you."

His hands are shaking when he grasps Changmin's fingers but he is pulls into a warm embrace. 

"We'll work on it together, hyung."

Changmin's smile at those words is the best thing he has ever seen in his life.

***

"To Yunho and Changmin !"

They clink the glasses while the couple are grinning widely, slightly blushing as all the attention is directed to them.

"You guys are the worst!" Kyuhyun complains after gulping his drink in one shot.

"Hyung, I'm the greatest wingman you could wish for right?"

"Hold your horses, Donghae-ya. To be honest, what did you do for them?" Heechul slaps Donghae arm.

"They met because Chamgmin spilled my drinks, which lead us to return to the shop on the same day to collect MY coat."

"First of all, they had met before the incident and secondly, it was me who told Changmin wash the coat for you so I think it was me who became the wingman at that time." Kyuhyun refuses to back down as he was also involved during that time.

Both of them watch in amusement as their friends squabble and interlock their fingers.

"Kids, who cares who is the wingman now. They're both the worst - how could you 'forget' to tell us you have been dating for 3 months?"

Yunho blatantly laughs at the accusing tone and pointing at Changmin, telling him to answer Heechul.

"We thought that you guys could tell as we often come here together."

"My dumbass thought you guys are teaming up for another book! You barely act differently than before - wait, doesn't it means you guys have been behaving like a couple for a while now?"

They never view it from that point before but now that Heechul has pointed it out like that, it just register in their mind.

"Oh." They mutters in unison.

"Dear god, I must have the dumbest smartest friend !" Kyuhyun sighs as he deciphers what they mean by that 'oh'.

"Hyung, stop being bitter- you're happy for them right?"

"Shut up, brat. Of course I'm happy."

***

They're preparing the dinner together in Yunho's kitchen, though it is mostly Chamgmin who is doing the real work and Yunho acts as his assistant. It is something that has become a pattern in their life before they even notice about it.

Whether it is at Yunho's or Changmin's apartment, Changmin would do most of the cooking and Yunho would do the dishes - and during the processes they would stay by the other's side either to give some help or just to chat about mundane stuffs.

It's no different that day and they spend their time after dinner by watching the news infront of the television, curling into the other's warmth. Glancing out, Yunho notices something outside of the window and excitedly shakes Changmin's arm to get his attention.

"Changminnie - it's snowing already!" His excitement could rival that of a child, making Changmin doubts that the man is older than him.

"It's the first snow of the year, right?"

He turns to face Changmin, his feature soften when he looks at the man.

"Yeah, our fourth first snow."

"Are you going to keep count on it, hyung?"

"Always."

Changmin nuzzles their noses together before giving him a peck on his cheek.

"I'd consider it as a promise then."

He stands up and pulls Changmin by the hand. Grabbing the remote control of the stereo, he presses the play button before wrapping his arm on the younger man's waist.

"I'd never break a promise especially the ones I made to you, Changminnie."

They sway slowly with the music, leaning into each other with the white snow separated by the glass as their background.

"I can't believe I only know to dance like this after 30 years of living." He murmurs , knowing each moves by heart after doing it for the umpteenth times.

"It's okay, there are a lot more years for you to make up for the lost times."

The unspoken words, he can hear it clearly. He has actually received a priceless miracle during the first snow four years ago.


	3. arc #3

In life, there are several things one should really avoid. One of it is loving a person who doesn't feel the same way as you do. Your eyes would follow that person's every move, even when they are laughing and loving another person. The pain is probably worse than being stabbed a thousand times with a sharp knife, he wouldn't wish that kind of pain even to his worst enemy.

***

"Did I make you wait?"

He looks up to see his best friend, who is panting with his hair seemingly a little bit wet from the drizzle that has just stopped. To be honest, he has noticed him from the distant but he pretends to be preoccupied with his phone.

"Not really, I was late myself. There was some stuffs I need to settle just now."

It is a lie. He has arrived 10 minutes early because they haven't seen each other for a few weeks.

"Oh. Hyung, do you know there's a festival in town? I heard there's a lot of games available."

They have walked away from the bench, getting ready to enter the stadium to watch the game. 

"I was busy with work this past week so I don't really know about those things. Are you planning to go there?"

"Minho went there during its first day and he said the ferris wheel is nice. I want to ride it with my special someone, wish me luck. Or do you want to come along with me, hyung?"

He glance at Changmin with unreadable looks in his eyes before he conceals it with a wry smile.

"I think I'll be busy with works since I'm still new. When you go there don't forget to send me some pictures or something."

Changmin has mentioned about having someone special to him several times but it still doesn't simmer his feeling for the other man. They first met when he was a freshman and Changmin was a high school student. The younger guy had went to his university when he was searching for which place should he apply to continue his study.

Their next meeting was when he was a returning student and Changmin was a freshman. They were in the music club and become close during the first club meeting. Their relationship was initially built based on their interest in music but soon they notice they are compatible despite being in different department.

Before he even realised it, what had begun as a feeling toward a junior has evolved into something deeper. Now, his feeling has become so complex that he couldn't fathom - during days he couldn't meet Changmin he would long to see his face but he would feel like running away everytime the younger guy bring up about the person he likes.

Now, he has just started to work so he hopes those feeling would fade as they couldn't meet each other as often. Changmin himself is busy as a senior year student with all kind of projects.

"Hyung, you can't forget me no matter how busy you are okay?" Suddenly Changmin turns to him with a serious look right before the game begins.

"I won't, Changminnie."

***

He's pathetic, he knows it but there's nothing he could do about it. These days, Changmin keeps mentioning about his intentions to finally confess to the person he loves. His heart was aching the entire time when he has to pretend to be interested when they were talking about it. He also has to listen to ideas about the ideal date Changmin has planned to go with that person.

Now, he is hanging out with his hometown friends at the bowling alley in order to occupy himself. 

"Yunho, if you're gonna be miserable just go home and let us enjoy ourselves." Hojun pokes his head from his side, after he ignores them countless times that night.

"Yeah, you're making us depressed too with such long face." Heechul says though without any heat as he takes the seat beside him.

"I'm afraid I couldn't face him sincerely anymore after this, hyung." He covers his face with his hand, trying to collect himself from the self pity.

"I told you to confess long ago, you ignore my advice so there's nothing I can't do for you now, Yunho-ya." 

If he could pretend his pride is non existent right now he probably would sob right there and then. Out of everyone in this world, out of all the people he has met, why must he fall for his male friend, one who already has a person who him fancies.

"Do you want to go on blind date? I can set it up for you." Hojun says as he stands up, ready for another round.

"I don't think that would be wise. Maybe if I see him with someone else I would eventually erase my own feeling for him."

He leans his head on Heechul's shoulder on his side. The older man wraps his arm around him, patting his back in comforting manner.

"I might bitch about this boy you love sometimes, but I know he's special judging by your feeling for him, Yunho."

Slowly, he closes his eyes, seeking for comfort at his friend's words. It is only for a few minutes before he hears a familiar voice calls his name.

"Hyung!"

Abruptly opening his eyes, he notice Changmin is a few metres away from him, a girl standing closely to his side. He could almost physically feel a twist in his heart before he stands up when the younger approach him.

"Changmin-ah, it's a surprise to see you here."

He hopes his voice won't betray him, the least he could do is sounding as casual as possible right now depsite being shaken by the sight. Changmin has told him countless time about that person he likes but he never show him how that person looks like, nor have he asks to look at any pictures of that person. Judging from the situation, he assumes that girl is the one.

"Hyung, I thought you're busy since you didn't text me lately." 

He notices Changmin curiously glances at his friends, but he doesn't has it in him to introduce them.

"Hey, so you are Changmin? I've heard a lot of things about you from Yunho. I'm Heechul."

"I hope it's only good thing. Nice to meet you." Changmin says with a little smile, finally looking at Heechul who is still sitting behind Yunho.

Heechul doesn't say anything after that, only observing Changmin with a smirk. Yunho immediately tries to divert the attention before Heechul say anything that could expose him.

"I see you're coming with your friends, Changminnie."

"Yes, we just finished our last group project."

Changmin returns his attention on him this time, somehow there is a serious look on his face unlike just now.

"That's great."

He doesn't know what should he say afterwards. There was an awkward silence hovering over them at that time.

"Yunho, tell your friend to join us." 

Hojun finally says after he notices the tense atmosphere around them. 

"They might want to enjoy themselves, hyung. Don't bother them." He doesn't think he can handle looking at Changmin with that girl.

"Thank you. I'll tell my friends that we'll play with you guys." Changmin accepts the invitation with a smile before calling over his friends.

He almost couldn't believe he survives that night but it is probably because Changmin mostly spend his time talking to him instead of his friends. He is glad that other than introducing their names, Changmin doesn't comment any further about the girl who seemingly close to him just now.

***

He's been distancing himself from Changmin for a while after that. Finally he decides to end his misery, put a proper closure to his feeling and pray that after everything is laid bare on the table Changmin would still accept him as a friend. If he doesn't, he could only hope he would find a way to mend his heart.

He invites Changmin to a dinner together after his final paper. It isn't even their first time having meal together but he is more nervous than ever that day. He even put on a formal looks that night.

They are talking about the usual stuffs but Changmin spends more time listening to him talk than talking about himself. He tries to say it at the restaurant but he lose the momentum so he tries to compose himself waiting for another chance to come up.

Their dinner ends just like that and he offers to drive Changmin back, which he gladly accepts. During the drive, both of them are unusually silent and it almost feel like the solemn mood is some kind of foreshadowing their future friendship.

He stops right in front of Changmin's block, but neither of them say anything for a while. Finally, he heaves a deep sigh before starting to speak.

"Changmin, I have something to tell you."

***

He runs as fast as he can after glancing at his watch again. He doesn't expect that the discussion would drag longer than usual today. He has promised his best friend that they would meet up at the park outside of the stadium before the game.

He notices his friend is engrossed with his phone when he finally reach him. He pants heavily trying to control his breathing before he greets the man.

"Did I make you wait?"

His friend slowly looks up to him, his gaze affects him more than he would admit. He has missed that man so much over the times they haven't seen each other.

"Not really, I was late myself. There was some stuffs I need to settle just now."

Even not being on time himself, he feels a little dissapointed when he hears that. It feels like he is the only one who is eager for this meeting.

"Oh. Hyung, do you know there's a festival in town? I heard there's a lot of games available."

He lets his friend gather his stuffs before they leave and getting ready to enter the stadium. He remembers the conversation he had with Minho. He casually mentions about the festival to Yunho, trying to gauge his reaction.

When the other man tells him about his busy schedule, he knows he should stop himself but he still tries his luck.

"Minho went there during its first day and he said the ferris wheel is nice. I want to ride it with my special someone, wish me luck. Or do you want to come along with me, hyung?"

He subtly offers Yunho to come along, hoping he would agree. He always tries to hide his real feeling whenever it comes to his friend, knowing that it might harm their friendship. Despite that, there are times he still want to be more than a friend to the other, thus making up about 'special someone' in his life.

After Yunho has started working, he is haunted by his own feeling knowing that the other would meet a lot of new people and possibly found love. He is fine with only being a friend but he doesn't know whether he can handle it if one day Yunho has someone special by his side.

"You know, I think I'll be busy with works since I'm still new. When you go don't forget to send me some pictures or something."

His hopes crash immediately, but he still faking it by nodding to whatever Yunho says after that. He knows well he won't be going because he only wants to go if and only if Yunho is going with him. Listening to him talking about work is bringing that feeling of insecurity back in full force inside him.

"Hyung, you can't forget me no matter how busy you are okay?"

The words come out before he can stop himself. He looks at Yunho trying to cling himself with whatever hope his friend is willing to give. 

"I won't, Changminnie."

***

He accepts his groupmates offer to hang out together after they submit their project. He feels empty these days as Yunho doesn't contact him as much, assuming the other is busy with work.

When they are chatting with himself, his heart skips a beat with what he sees at a few lanes away from him. He calls out for Yunho disregarding the distance between them, ignoring the girl who is saying something beside him. 

His heart almost feels like it would combust when he watches Yunho is being in another person's embrace intimately. When Yunho looks at his direction, he walks to approach the man while trying to compose himself.

"Changmin-ah, it's a surprise to see you here."

He feels like his presence is unwanted when Yunho says that words to him but he acts oblivious and firmly stands infront of his best friend.

"Hyung, I thought you're busy since you didn't text me lately." 

He glances at the guy who is with Yunho just now. That guy has a distinct feature with his hair framing his face giving him a gentle look - he hates that he has to admit the guy looks pretty.

When the guy says that Yunho has mentioned about him, there is a little hopeful and proud feeling glimmers in his heart. He is happy that Yunho has talked about him to other people and he feels pathetic that he has resorted to clinging to a little thing like that.

"I see you're coming with your friends, Changminnie."

He would ditch them without further thought if Yunho asks him to but he would also do that without Yunho asking him to.

"Yes, we just finished our last group project."

He hopes he doesn't make it obvious but it feels like his heart is too heavy to pretend any longer. There is a depressing silence between them after Yunho responds with a short remark to his answer.

"Yunho, tell your friend to join us." 

Yunho's friend calls him from the lane but he obnoxiously accepts the offer even Yunho tries to reject it - whether he is trying to be considerate or chasing him away.

During the whole time, he sticks close to Yunho. He chats with Yunho without paying much attention to anything else, hoping that Yunho would also only look at him.

***

Yunho doesn't contact him during his examinations weeks. It is probably a blessing in disguise as he doesn't think that he can focus for his finals if Yunho is the distraction. After his last paper, he receives a text from Yunho asking to meet him which he eagerly agree. 

He consults Minho about what should he wear that night.

"Hyung, just wear anything decent, I don't think Yunho hyung would mind."

"I didn't say I care what he think about what I wear." He retorts while going through his closet, searching for a suitable outfit.

"Then just wear whatever you usually wear. It's not like you never have a meal with him." Minho rolls his eyes, he cannot understand why his friend is making a big deal of something as simple as that.

In the end, he pick a button up shirt layer with a red sweater - something he assumes won't make him look shabby.

Their dinner is filled with casual conversation, Yunho talks about works and he would regularly ask anything to make the man talk more. He doesn't want to talk much about himself, content with listening to him.

During the ride back, both of them do not utter a word. He doesn't know what should he say as he could feel the tense from Yunho.

When the car stops in front of his block, he doesn't know whether he should just leave or ask if there's anything wrong. He hears a deeps sigh from his side which makes he turns to look at Yunho.

"Changmin, I have something to tell you."

***

"I don't know how should I say this."

He knows Changmin is looking at him but he is not ready to look at the other guy himself. 

"You know that you can talk about anything to me, right? I'll always listen to whatever you want to say."

His palm is sweating profusely. He knows Changmin might say this now but he will dash out of the door right away once he listen to his confession.

His clenches his fists tightly trying to calm his nerves. 

"Let's stop meeting each other, Changmin-ah."

***

He feels numb when he processes those words. His pupils shake trying to focus at whatever in front of him.

"Why?" 

His voice is barely audible but he knows Yunho can hear him. He tries to track back to everything he has said tonight, he thinks he must've said something wrong somewhere along the way.

The few seconds silence this time feels worse as he feels like every second that passes the distance between them becomes even larger.

"It's because I'm too selfish, I don't think I can see you anymore."

His hands are cold but he gather all the courage he could muster and look at Yunho.

"I don't get what are you saying, hyung."

"It's because of the person you like, Changminnie."

If his hands are cold before, it is possible that his blood is frozen now. He has always been careful about it, there's no way Yunho could know about it.

***

He glance from the corner of his eyes and he could see how shock Changmin is. He has not even properly say anything but the guy seems like he has already see a ghost with how surprise he looks.

Taking a deep breath, he knows he could possibly never see Changmin again after this. Finally, he turns to look at Changmin in the eyes, taking his time looking at every inch of the younger man's face for this could be the last time he looks at him this close.

"I'm too selfish to meet up with you like nothing happens, when I know too well you already have someone you like, Changmin-ah."

He sees Changmin's lips tremble, his eyes never leave his even for a moment.

"I'll stop liking the person, hyung. You have promised - no, you can't just say things like that!"

He could almost see the rage in Changmin but he has made up his mind. There's no way he can turn back that he already go this far.

"You don't have to do that. I should have known my place - I'll let go of my feeling for you, you should be happy with the person you love."

He has said it. He prepares for Changmin to leave any seconds from now.

***

Did he hear it wrong? Yunho is still staring at him intently, but there is a look of defeat in his gaze.

His tries to move his mouth but there's nothing that comes up. They continue the staring battle wordlessly for a while.

"What do you mean, hyung?"

He asks once he finally found his voice.

"I know it's hateful but I really can't see you with anyone else... I thought it would be enough just to be a friend but when you keep talking about that person, I know it's something I cannot accept."

He can almost guess what Yunho is trying to say now. The warmth in his heart now is heating his whole body, an uncontrollable desire to shout out loud his feeling. 

With all the giddy feeling inside him, he wraps his arms around Yunho and he can feel the man jolt in shock in his embrace but he couldn't care less about it. 

***

Yunho is shocked with the response he receives. He doesn't dare to move in case he misunderstood the other's meaning but his resolve falter when he feels Changmin's lips on his necks, forming a grin.

"It has always been you, hyung."

He pulls Changmin's body away a little, enough to face him this time. His hands gripping tightly on Changmin's shoulders.

He stares hopefully at the face in front of him, mouth slightly agape.

"I'm a fool for not knowing how to be honest with my feeling but the person I like is you, hyung!" 

He can clearly Changmin's eyes are gleaming with happiness, there's no trace of lies he sees on the face.

"This is not the time to play around, Changmin. What about the girl I met before?"

At the mention, there is an honest confused looks on Changmin's face, his brows furrow a little.

"What girl are you talking about?"

He feels like a heavy weight has been lifted off him, his grips on the younger's shoulders relaxes before he allows himself to hope.

"If you're talking about me, why do you keep referring it as 'that person'?"

Changmin once again hugs him tightly, hiding his face from his searching gaze.

"I don't want you to know about it. It's stupid but I hope by talking about the person I like, you would see me as an equal."

Yunho rests his palms on Changmin's back, making a slow stroking motion. He presses his cheek on the side of Changmin's face, chuckling at their situation.

"If only you know how much I'm in love with you, Shim Changmin."

Slowly Changmin releases the hug, his eyes are full of bare emotions.

"I want to say the same thing to you, hyung." 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just some short scenes, but it's an arc I can relate to. falling for your best friend is the worst feeling especially when you know they like someone else


	4. arc #4

The weather is bright and sunny when they land in Rome. Yunho looks out of the window and sigh softly, before turning to face the man beside him.

"Here we are." He says in a forced calm tone.

"Relax, hyung. I know you're gonna nail it." Changmin squeezes Yunho's arm several times to ease his tension.

Yunho desperately wants to believe those words. They collect their luggage before taking a taxi to the hotel. Enjoying the twilight scenery slowly darken, they only exchange a few words in the car trying to conceal their nervousness. Once they arrive at the hotel, they take the keycard for their rooms which are opposites of each other.

"Will you need help with your stuffs, hyung?" Changmin asks when they are inside the elevator, turning to face Yunho slightly.

"It's okay. Kibum will come later, he will brief us about the meeting. Have you contacted Jungmo hyung?" Yunho finally feels like he can breathe properly. His nerves has calmed a little compare to earlier.

"Yeah, he'll bring the documents we would need. We're gonna be okay, right?" He gives a small smile this time, trying to lighten the mood before the meeting with investor next morning.

"Of course, as long as you're there I believe we'll do great." 

The elevator stops at their floor and both of them walks to their own suites. The bellboy has brought up luggages earlier. 

"See you tomorrow, Changmin." Yunho holds the door, gazing at Changmin waiting for the other to enter the room first.

Changmin hums quietly, only glancing at Yunho a little before shutting the door. Once he is inside his room, he stares at the closed door as if his gaze could penetrate through it.

***

Jung Yunho and Shim Changmin. Heirs of the two top leading companies of South Korea. Their fathers have always try to outdo each other for years which makes their business grow tremendously in short times. 

Despite having the odds against them, they have known each other since they were young as they attended the same elementary schools until they competed high schools. Ironically even their alma maters are notorious for their own rivalry, being graduates of Oxford and Cambridge themselves.

Once they return and assume their role at the company, they have tried to make some changes and try to come up with ways to simmer down the feud. It often riles up executives at their respective companies, accusing them of their incompetence in the field.

This trip is a chance for them to prove to those old farts that they could build alliance between both companies. They have almost come to the agreement to finalise the project but at the very last-minute, the major investor has changed his mind. They have to organize a back-up plan by sending their trusted men, Kibum and Jungmo who have been supporting them since the beginning, to persuade the Italian tycoon to have another meeting with them.

After several days, they manage to set up the date which causes Yunho and Changmin to rush there. They believe with the success of the collaboration, their companies would secure the top spot in the industry.

They might be young with only little years of experience under their belts but they want to make a change that their elders refuse to take. 

***

Kibum arrives at Yunho's suite along with Jungmo, who directly head to Changmin's. 

"Hyung, how was your flight?" He asks Yunho once the man open the door for him.

"It was nice, I supposed. Having Changmin by my side for the whole flight made it better."

Kibum smirks knowingly at him before handing him the documents.

"If the meeting goes well tomorrow, I'm sure it will be even better."

Yunho tenses up a bit, knowing that they cannot afford to fail the negotiations. He takes the documents out from the envelope and flips through it, reading through all the proposed plans. Looking up from the papers, he smiles to express his gratitude to Kibum.

"Thanks for working hard these couple of days."

"That's the least I could do for you guys. You've helped me a lot back then, remember?" His smile dims slightly, reminiscing the old days. He was the typical foreign student who is having financial problems during his study until he meets Yunho, who has always generously help him without caring the difference of status between them.

"You're talking as if we're strangers. You're my best friend, Kibum-ah."

***

"Changmin-ah." Jungmo greets the younger guy before him.

"How's the preparation, Jungmo hyung?"

Changmin inquires, fingers tapping they keyboards in front of him. He's been trying to come up with strategies for the meeting that would probably seal his future in a few more hours.

"He's been quite reluctant to meet up with you guys but we manage to convince him. I'm not sure why he's acting like that when he is basically ready to commit to the project before." Jungmo frowns when he recalls the recent interactions with the foreigner.

"I think there's someone from either company discourage him making him takes off his hands from the project." 

Changmin has considered some other reasons but after he thinks about it, that is the only valid explanation for the sudden changes.

"Do you think Yunho knows about it?" Jungmo doesn't dare to make any accusations before even when it does crossed his mind.

"Hyung has always trust everyone would have the same loyalty as he does, I don't think he would assume anyone would dare to do that." 

Changmin has always trust Yunho when it comes to his judgement and ideas but if there is one weakness about that man he has to admit, it is that Yunho never see the bad in people. That's why he thinks he need to stick by his side to protect the man from those kind of people.

"That is the Yunho we know, right? It's okay, if you can overcome this there is no way they can stop both of you anymore."

Changmin closes the tabs on his laptop, ready to give full focus on the discussion for the meeting.

Jungmo notices the background screen causing him to smile teasingly at Changmin.

"I would really believe that you actually forgot how to change background picture seeing that you have used the same picture for years even when that is your new gadget, Changmin."

He glances at the screen himself, before rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"You're lucky that you're older than me."

***

Changmin stands in front of Yunho's room, he doesn't get to ring the bell when the door is opened from the inside. His knees feel weak for entirely different reason when he sees Yunho as if they didn't spent their entire childhood together. Changmin feels a little breathless when he appreciatively stares at the man, with his suits fits him perfectly and hair slick back making him looks captivating. 

"Ready to go?" Yunho smiles at him once he exits the room, standing right next to Changmin.

"Sure. Let's go."

They discuss their plans and how they're going to approach the topic inside the car, mixture of emotion surrounding them for all the probabilities. Jungmo and Kibum have left earlier and they would meet up later. Once they arrive at the company building, they still for a moment before Yunho looks to his right, letting his eyes linger at Changmin before they exit the car together.

Once they enter the building, their hands clasp together with each other for a while to give each other strength.

"This is it, hyung."

There is an assistant, a brunette woman around her late 30s who is waiting for them at the lobby and guides them to the meeting room. With 8 people in total in the room, and their discussion starts rather mildly. When they have passed one hour mark, it becomes heated with both of them trying to explain to them all the beneficial advantage that they would acquire by making a risk at the start. All those tension and stress doesn't go down the drain as by the early evening, after having some breaks during the meeting, they manage to convince their future investor. 

The reliefs in his heart, for Yunho there's no words that could describe how he feels at the moment. When they make a toast to commemorate the partnership between them, he lets his eyes wander to look at Changmin who exudes extreme happiness at their success. 

They have never said it aloud but they know the implications if they lose this chance.

Instead of going back directly to the hotel, they decide to celebrate the joy by having dinner together, all four of them. Jungmo and Kibum would take the earliest flight the next day to deliver the news in person to the bosses. Meanwhile Yunho and Changmin have opted to take the opportunity to rest after their long fight with the companies to defend their stance on the matter.

Parting ways at the lobby of the hotel, all of them are still in high spirit and buzzing with alcohol in their systems.

"Do you want me to book flight for you later, hyung?" Kibum asks Yunho while he and Changmin wait for the elevator.

"It's okay, I think we'll enjoy our times here for few more days. I'll inform you when I come back." He barely listen to whatever Kibum is asking after that as he pays a little too much attention on the small screen displays the bright number.

In the end, Kibum huffs at the lack of response. Jungmo looks at the scene in front of them before pulling Kibum away with an exaggerates sigh.

"Guess we've held you back for too long. Enjoy the rest of your stay, guys."

Changmin speechlessly watch them leave and when he is about to complain, the elevator door opens and Yunho tugs him impatiently before flashing their keycard to allow them moving their floor. Once the elevator starts to move upwards, Yunho shoves Changmin to the wall beside him and kiss him with a sense of urgency. 

He feels the heat every time their skin come in contacts and he pulls away to inhale harshly once they reach their floor. This time it's Changmin who drags him and both of them scramble to enter the room, almost dropping the keycard in the process. Changmin pushes Yunho to his bed before he traps the man by straddling him.

"Do you know how hard it is to hold myself from bursting into your room last night?" He looks at Yunho almost with predatory looks in his eyes.

"To be honest, it's a waste of money to book two rooms." He loops his arms around Changmin's neck loosely.

"I wonder who's the one that suggests it would be better to stay in different room to have better concentration." This time he moves his face closer letting only few inches apart between them. 

Yunho ignores the snide remarks and close the remaining gaps.

***

Few hours hours later, Changmin browse the internet using his laptop while leaning against the headboard. Yunho peeks at the screen from his position, head still on the pillow, curiously.

"Seriously?! Wine brewery tour?" He asks in disbelief when he reads the words display on the screen.

"Come on, hyung. When else we're going to go if not this time?" 

"You do realize that we're basically skipping works currently, right?" He rises from the bed to sit alongside Changmin, resting his chin on the younger's shoulder.

"Is that a yes?" Changmin asks another question, tilting his head a little to look at Yunho.

"Yes, Changminnie. Anything's for you."

He pays no attention to the way Yunho drawl his words mockingly, only beaming in response. Another weakness that he sometimes would take advantage of is Yunho always indulge to whatever he wants, no matter how ludicrous it is. They end up spending almost an hour looking around for places they want to visit during the stay. He decides that they should catch some sleeps before beginning their little adventure when Yunho holds his hand, stopping him from shutting down the device.

"You still use this picture after so many years?"

He looks at the picture - 20 years old him with his cheeks against Yunho's, who is beside him with one arm around Changmin's shoulder pulling him close. It was during his first day as a college student and also the day they change the status of their relationship.

"I like this picture, why? Should I change it?" There's a provocation in that question.

"Leave it. The 2 hours journey from my school was worth every single seconds of it when I met you that day."

After he was informed about Changmin's arrival, he excitedly planned a surprise visit despite the distance between their place. When Changmin confessed his feeling before he had to leave later that day, he still regards it as one of the best moments in his life. 

Starting from that, they had made sure that they would make effort to see each other at least once a week and most of their weekends were spent together either by studying together or just exploring the places around. Even when they fought, one of them would still come to visit even if it were just to sit in silence together.

"I'm glad we manage to practically force them to agree letting proceed with this project. Now we need to prove our capabilities in handling it."

Yunho caress Changmin's arm soothing style, leaning against each other.

"Looking back, we've been through quite a lot of things. I'm sure we can make it too this time."

Changmin slides lower, letting his head lies on Yunho's chest. He closes his eyes while listening to the rhythm of his heartbeats. 

"Have you think about how to break the news to them, hyung?" He opens his eyes slowly, looking at Yunho through his lashes. He's been thinking about it a lot lately, worries that he would lose the man to another suitor, a random woman, especially with their status as heirs.

"I think... my parents might have guessed or at least have a feeling there's something going on. I did stay for another two years to wait for you before."

Yunho thinks back of that event a few years ago, he begged his parents to let him stay for another year using the excuse wanting to be independent which in the end had became two years just because he wanted to wait for Changmin to finish his study. Changmin had tried to tell him to go back several times but he stubbornly had chose to stay. In the beginning, it caused them to fight quite often until Changmin gave in and let Yunho accompany him despite his reluctance.

"I couldn't believe that you actually did that for me. You had wasted those two years when you could have started your career earlier."

He still feel guilty about it even after years have passed. He knows the importance of years of experience in the business especially to those older higher ups.

"I never consider it as a waste. I might start late at the company but I gained a little experience by working without any special experience just like how everyone else would."

He had worked temporarily at a small firm to occupy his time and it was a valuable experience as he had learnt to view things from a 'normal emplyee' insight.

"I don't know how they would react if they know about us. Honestly, I'm quite scared, hyung." He rarely shows his vulnerable sight as he doesn't want to burden others but if he could wish for one thing, it is for them to stay together.

"We'll be okay. I won't let others take you away from me."

***

They spend four dreamlike days walking around and enjoying themselves. It is the most relaxing time they have ever since they have joined the companies. 

In the morning of their last day there, they enjoy their breakfast at a coffee bar with centuries old history. Their flight would depart later in the evening leaving them with plenty more times before going to the airport.They are leisurely discussing about the days they have spent there when suddenly their peace are broken by the ringtone of their phones, simultaneously.

Shockingly, they didn't receive any call from their companies nor their families in the span of four days. Settling not to ruin their vacation, they do not incite any contact either. They had informed Jungmo and Kibum to call them contact them immediately if there's anything important arises.

Both of them reach for their own phone, and there are unknown numbers making them feel rather uneasy. 

"Hello?" 

Yunho almost drops the phone when he listens to the voice from the other side. His eyes scurry to look at Changmin and gauging by his reaction, he probably receives the same kind of call.

"Aren't you supposed to ask permission from his parents before you take away their son, young man?"

His breathe stutters and his fingers that is holding the phone grips it in incredulousness. There is another question echoes from the speaker but he is still at loss for words.

"Yes, sir. We would arrive around afternoon tomorrow." He hears Changmin says with a shaky voice. He ends up repeating the same words to his caller, too stunt to form intelligible sentence.

"Good. Bring your parents along to meet me the following day. Show the proper manners if you are serious in this." 

Before the call is ended, he hears some giggles at the background. One of them suspiciously sounds like his mother. 

Lowering his phone from his ear, he looks at Changmin with eyes glistening with pure happiness. Changmin returns the gaze with equally teary eyes, before he spring into Yunho's embrace.

"This is not a dream, isn't it, hyung?" He cannot control the quiver in his voice, even his body trembles a little.

Yunho caress the back of Changmin's head. He couldn't see his face but he can feel the lips forming a grin on his shoulder.

"I promise to always make you never regret being with me, my Changminnie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've kept this one on hold as it feels rather incomplete but I'm enamoured with that one picture from the latest season greeting so maybe I'll just delete this later once I sober up ~


	5. arc #5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still have some chapters in mind, it's just that I've always disliked looking at the (?) everytime I look at the chapters section XP

February 29th, 2004

"Changmin!"

He turns around, searching for the source of the voice and notices a figure at the door, smiling cheekily and waved excitedly at him. Giving in, he put down the rag in his hand before approaching the boy.

"What is it, Kyu?"

Before he even prepares for it, his best friend drags him out of the classroom. The hallway is deserted as it is Sunday of the last week for semester break and only several students in each classes, doing some cleaning before start next semester.

"Live a little, the new semester hasn't begin yet you're already staying inside the class like a nerd."

Kyuhyun pulls him along to take the stair which he complies reluctantly, thinking about all the dust he hasn't wiped yet.

"Unlike you, I'm quite a responsible person and I'd prefer my classmates not to hate me before the school even starts."

"You would see a lot more things when you're not stuck in those classroom, Chwang. For example, I just know that our school is the host for this year hapkido tournament and they are currently having some sort of briefing at our main hall."

He turns to look at his friend in confusion, huge question mark in his face.

"Why is there a tournament during the break?"

From their current position, he can see that the hall is occupied with quite a lot of people and most of the are wearing school uniforms.

"The tournament officially starts during the first week so they are here a few days early for the preparation."

As they come closer to the hall, he notes the various uniforms and accents when they pass by the others. 

"I gotta admit, Kyu. You really have a gift in gathering useless information." 

He stops in front of the noticeboard, reading the poster the competition.

"You should thank me, I mean - how could a member of journalist club miss such a news"

He joins the club out of his interest in photography and it is his only choice as the school doesn't have a photography club, yet. 

"Remember the horror I have to go through to find your 'perfect angle' during that photo session that Olympiad last semester?"

He receives a punch in the arm for the comment. Scrunching his face, he massages the area before extending his leg to trip Kyuhyun whom falls for the trick, literally. He falls to the floor with a little groan which causes Changmin to muffle his laugh to avoid drawing attention from people around them. Too lost in his laughter, he doesn't notice someone already approach them.

"Are you okay?" 

It's a voice with genuine concern, that makes him halts his laugh instantly. A boy with different uniform than the one they're wearing is now crouching to help Kyuhyun to get on his feet. 

"Thanks, man. If it were up to my friend here I'd probably freeze on this ground."

Changmin uncharacteristically gapes a few times trying to defend himself but he is too flustered with the presence of the boy.

"Next time, you should help him first before you want to laugh."

Now the boy is looking solely at him with a stern look on his face. The small space between them allows him to see the face clearly, there is a scar at the end of his eye and another on his cheek, below his eye area. Combine with the serious face he put on, in Changmin's eyes that boy looks almost frightening.

He can see Kyuhyun sticking out his tongue at him but he is too flustered when a stranger openly reprimands him for a harmless joke, though he knows he's at fault to some degree.

"I promise I won't do it again." 

He says meekly, his voice almost couldn't be heard. Almost in the blink of an eye, the stern look is replaced with the purest smile he has ever seen on a teenage boy, it looks almost kittenish with the way his lips curl at the end.

"I believe you won't, you seem like a good kid."

His initial irritation towards the stranger suddenly melt into a warm feeling. Due to his introvert nature, it's very rare for him to exchange words with people he barely know, let alone to receive a praise from them.

"Yunho, let's go. We need to register our name now." 

There's another boy who is shorter than them, almost shouting at the boy from few meters away. Yunho leaves them a simple farewell before leaving but after a few steps he turns back ànd searching for something inside his bag.

"Here, for your friend. Seems like he scrapes his knee a little."

He puts some bandaids in Changmin's palm, then he jogs away to his friend to enter the hall together.

"Dude, I thought you would wet yourself right there." 

Kyuhyun pushes his shoulder slightly, trying to balance himself on one leg. He just noticed that there's a little tear on the left knee area at Kyuhyun's pants.

"Sorry, I didn't think I'd get you hurt."

His face ashen. He deserves the scolding just now when he thought Yunho was overreacting.

"Buy me some food after this and I'll forgive you."

He looks back at the entrance of the hall before supporting Kyuhyun to walk to the nearest bench.

"Deal!"

He helps Kyuhyun to put on the bandaids but Yunho has gave him more that enough for a small wound. When they return to their own classrooms, he mindlessly slips the remaining into his bag.

***

"Wow, he's so cool!"

"I'm going to steal that towel he used just now."

"Not if I can take it first."

He just arrives at the venue when he overhears the conversation of the girls in front of him. He receives a late notice from the club to replace another member who is supposed to cover this news. 

It's harder than he thought to work alone when there's an army of schoolgirls hysterically screeching at the contestants blocking his way. After struggling to squeeze his way to the front, the match just concluded with the winner of the round being announced. He can't even listen to the name as the cheers are almost deafening.

He probably can't hear the name that is announced but he can perfectly see the winner from his spot. He starts to capture the pictures on reflex just like he has done many times before. Through his lens, the smile that is directed towards the crowd is definitely different from the one he received yesterday. 

Unexpectedly, Yunho wandering gaze found him even with his eyes behind the lens, he hold the gaze that flashes recognition and in a split second, there is the smile from yesterday. The moment ends too fast when Yunho's teammates run towards him and they all move towards their coach.

Gwangil High School ends up as the winner with Jung Yunho as their best player. 

He put aside his flip phone and scrolls through the pictures he's taken today on his desktop. Among all the pictures there's only one picture he's interested in. 

Yunho smiles almost softly directly into the camera with relax posture. He is not too drenched in sweat for someone who has just won a match, even his hair is not as unkempt as it supposed to. It would make a perfect cover page for their school bulletin.

The picture never reach their editorial team.

***

February 29th, 2008

"Drink! Drink! Drink!"

He chugs another glass of beer raising more cheers from his friends.

College life has been nice for him. He now has a little group of friends made up of 5 people, which is an improvement from before. 

"As expected, the best drinker among us!" Ryeowook clings glass to his now empty one.

"Can we have 5 more bottles please?" Kyuhyun calls out which stirs another cheers from their table. 

"Now, cheers to the incoming our suffering!"

They might be a bunch of college students but it doesn't means that they are any wiser than anyone else. He has piles of works need to be done but he's drinking to his heart content like there's no tomorrow.

Kyuhyun suddenly moves from his seat unsteadily to get out from the small stall before he almost falls on his face. He is saved when his arm is grabbed by the man who has just walked pass the entrance.

"Hey there, are you okay?"

He steadies Kyuhyun by holding both of his shoulders. Changmin gets up to retrieve his friend before he become a trouble to other people. He hold his friend's arms and bow stiffly to the stranger.

"Thank you. He would smash his head to the ground if it's not for you."

He recognises the scars straightaway. He accidentally let out a gasp.

"Jung Yunho!"

Yunho does respond to the name but he tilts his head looking at Changmin in confusion.

"Yes?"

He feels his hearts sinks but he tries his luck anyway.

"We met before, at my school during hapkido competition."

There's still that confused look on Yunho's face which makes him feel even more disappointed. It was just some incident that happens in passing so it is not memorable to others but somehow he feels displeased that he is the only who remembers such thing.

"Nevermind. Let me--"

The loud cheery laugh interrupt whatever he's trying to say before he is pulled into a hug. The hug is a little bit awkward as he is still holding Kyuhyun with his hands.

"I'm just teasing you. I do remember you actually, Mr. Photographer."

He glares at Yunho after that but it doesn't last long especially when the other is smiling brightly at him.

"I should've just pretended I didn't recognize you."

He can't believe he fall for that kind of cheap trick, when he often boasts his ability in knowing to read people's actions.

"I'm good at memorizing people's faces actually but others usually forget about me. I'm thankful that you actually remember me."

He doesn't expect that he would be thanked for something like that especially from the guys in front of him.

"You don't seem that forgettable." He mutters quietly.

"Pardon?" 

"Nothing. It's good that you remember, too." 

Yunho merely smiles at his answer. He is about to say something when someone calls his name.

"I gotta go, seems like my friends have bought their takeout. By the way, it's kinda hard to forget such pretty eyes like yours."

He says it so casually making Changmin who's usually eloquent with his words forgets every single vocabulary he's ever known. Before he leaves with his friends, Yunho turns back to look at him a one last smile. After he's frozen still at the spot for a while, Ryeowook finally pulls Kyuhyun away from him.

***

February 29th, 2012

 

"Wow, you've really made it, Chwang!"

Both of them takes in their surrounding in amazement. It is birthday party for the daughter of a rich family and Changmin has been invited as a photographer. He's slowly but surely making his name although he prefers taking picture of the scenery but he is not foolish enough to reject an offer when a huge sum of money is offered.

Kyuhyun is busy gaping at the famous faces around them when he accidentally stumble due to thick carpet. He would spill the wine in his glass if not for a strong hand on his waist.

"Do you have a weak ankle or something?"

It's a familiar yet unfamiliar voice. Both of them whipped their head to the person who is still holding Kyuhyun before those arm slip away when he deems Kyuhyun can stand by himself.

Jung Yunho, but unlike two of their previous meetings, this time he is accompanied by a beautiful woman, who stands proudly by his side. It's Changmin's client for the evening.

They politely greet the lady, which she brushes off elegantly while flirtatiously hook her arm around Yunho's.

"I didn't know he's your friend."

She is almost leaning entirely on Yunho, ignoring the other's presence.

Changmin feels awkward witnessing the scene in front of him, assuming it is the reason for the bitter feelings in him.

"We're not- "

"I forgot to bring it up. If you may excuse me, I'd like to catch up with them."

Yunho tries to detangle his arm from hers but it seems that she stubbornly hold on to him. 

"I want you to meet my friends, you can talk to them later?" 

She pouts trying to fish for some sympathy but there's no sign Yunho is affected by the tactic.

"I'll join you later. I'm sure you want to chat with them without me intruding, right?"

After giving it some thoughts, she slowly release her hold and rubs Yunho's arm one last time. She whispers audibly even for Kyuhyun and Changmin to hear before leaving.

"It's a news to me that we're friends?" Changmin asks once her has moved out of earshot.

"Are you a mystical creature that appears only during leap year?" Yunho asks at the same time.

Kyuhyun who is still standing beside Changmin snorts when he hears the question. 

"Actually, my dear friend, I'd like to find something to eat so please 'catch up' just fine without me."

He's been starving himself the whole day to enjoy the feast so he doesn't think he can bear it any longer. Without waiting for their response, he already disappears in search for food.

"Will he be okay?"

Yunho follows his movement until he lost sight of him before turning back to Changmin.

"He'll live. What do you mean by your statement just now?"

There is a playful smirk on Yunho's face. The ways he's looking at him almost like he is actually looking at a small puppy even when Changmin is probably an inch taller.

"Isn't it suspicious? I happened to stumble across you and your friend on this exact date for several times now."

Changmin looks at him like he's looking at three headed creature, complete with looking like he's been wronged. Maybe his heart flutter a little that he's not the only one who remembers the date.

"I can say the same thing about you. Even worse, you probably bring bad luck to my friend."

Calmly, Yunho starts to lead him to the buffet area as he shrugs at the accusations.

"Fair point but debatable."

He hands out a small plate to Changmin, they're eyeing the mouthwatering delicacies before placing some in their plates and retreats to nearby table.

"Just so you know, I actually need to take pictures of this party and all these people or else your girlfriend would be mad at me."

His hands gesture to their surrounding and look pointedly at Yunho when he mention about the girlfriend part.

"Firstly, it would be a shame to miss this food since you're already here, taking few minutes break won't kill. Next, if she's my girlfriend why would I rather sit here with you instead of loitering around her."

Changmin stops his chewing to look at Yunho trying to decipher if he's telling the truth.

"Then why is she clinging at you just now?"

"She's been acting like that since she becomes my client few months ago. In my defense, I did reject her but seems like she just doesn't want to accept it."

It's understandable why she would stick to Yunho like that even after being rejected. Even for him, he probably was doomed ever since the first time they met.

"Client? What do you do?"

He lifts one brow when he notices the information left out in the sentence.

"A humble shoemaker. I open my own shop two years ago and here I am, trying to make connection with these important people."

Yunho explains it with such joy on his face that it's hard to guess that he's here with business in mind as well.

"Oh, capitalism at its finest. Guess you're no longer that hapkido kid, huh?"

'It such a shame,' he manages to stop himself from saying it aloud but the image of Yunho in the uniform from years ago is still vivid on his mind.

"I did it for fun back then but who knows I actually end up winning the tournament."

If other people say such things, he would say that they're bragging but with Yunho, it seems like he honestly say it in a form of statement.

"You must be kidding me. I thought you're some kind of martial arts hero all these times with how good your reflex is."

"Did you think about me a lot?"

The teasing smile that hooks on the corner of his mouth is mocking him but Changmin put on the most nonchalant face he could muster at the moment.

"You wish. It's a figure of speech."

Yunho's smile is unchanging and he knows if this goes on for another minute he would embarrass himself in front of the man.

"It's okay, I remember about you from time to time, too. That kid who looks so scared when I first met, I wonder what he's up to now."

He knows he is defeated by those words because he never expect Yunho would bring up their past meeting right then. There's a beat before he could even reply coherently.

"Let me set this straight, I wasn't that timid but you should look at yourself at that time, I seriously thought you're a bully or something with the way you confront me."

Another lie. He might've been scared at first but whatever he thought about the man after the he smiled at him on that day, he would rather keep it to himself.

"Sorry, it's just my nature. The big guy up there must think that it is fun to make we meet like this on this date everytime."

"Yeah, if I don't know better I'd say you're a creepy stalker who sets me up in this situation."

He wouldn't know why their fate somehow could entangle like this but for whatever reason, it feels like he could make up for his past regret always letting the chance slip from him.

"Says the one with camera. Oh, you were there right when I won that competition? I'm sure I saw you with your camera at that time."

'This is unfair.' Yunho seems to know all the right button to push even if he doesn't know it himself. Changmin shakes his head a little to clear his mind from projecting any hope on something that is without clarity.

"Yeah, I was a very dedicated school journalist who had to go through those wall of girls who went crazy for you at that time. Why?"

It might come out a little harsher than he intended but it feels like he needs to protect himself from whatever he is feeling right then.

"I wonder do you still keep that file from that time? I'd like to keep a picture from that day but my idiot of a best friend forgot to take any when he jumped to celebrate it with me."

Yunho frowns a little when he recalls the incident but he looks hopefully at Changmin, hoping that the man could actually give him that piece of memory.

"I'm not sure but I'll see if I still got it, I'll inform you later."

He's definitely lying through his teeth again because he perfectly remembers he keeps the file from that day in his hard disk drive and for that one picture he keeps to himself, he save every copy of it in all memory cards he owns. His reason is always the same when he caught himself making another copy into a new memory card, 'because it's the perfect shot'.

Their conversation is interrupted when Kyuhyun joins them and tell him that the client is waiting for him. He half heartedly tells Yunho that he have to go but before he gets to step away there's a gentle grip at his wrist.

"Here's my business card, you can contact me once you find the picture. I hope it won't take me another four years to receive any news from you."

There it is again, the smile that has embedded itself in his mind since the first time he saw it. He takes it and keep it safely inside his jacket.

***

February 29th, 2016

"Cho Kyuhyun, for heaven's sake please tell me you're done?"

He whispers nervously to his phone, hunching a little at the table.

"Relax, Chwang. I've got this."

The respond he gets does not calm his worries even the tiniest bit.

"You better don't mess this up or else -"

A pair of shoes comes into his vision. Slowly raising his his head, he is met with a confused looking Yunho.

"Changminnie?"

Changmin's eyes widen in surprised, phone in hand forgotten. He hastily stands up and slips both of his hand into the pockets of his pants.

"How long have you been here?"

He searches for any signs of suspicion on Yunho's face and secretly relaxes his posture when he sees none of it.

"I just arrived, sorry for making you wait."

Yunho smiles shyly, embarrassed for his lack punctuality, when it's him who asks Changmin to meet him there.

"It's okay, hyung. Come on, let's sit and have the waiter bring us the menu."

When he tries to go around the table to pull the chair for Yunho, the man stop him by placing a hand around his waist and hand him a bouquet of flower of dozen roses, in purple and red colour.

"I'm not sure whether you'd like it but hopefully you won't hate it."

Changmin stares at the flowers before slowly taking it into his hand, he touches a purple rose before glancing almost bashfully at Yunho.

"I love it. Thank you, hyung."

Yunho smiles in relief this time before taking his seat. They call for the waiter into the room and continue chatting after placing their order. Yunho has reserved the private room at the restaurant to celebrate the special date for them.

When the food arrives, Yunho watches silently the glee in Changmin's eyes even when the man insists for him to have the first bite.

After the dinner affair, they go back together with Yunho's car as Changmin has purposely left went to the restaurant by taxi earlier. They would incite jealousy from whoever that witnesses their interactions with each other. Their actions are overflowed with the thoughts of each other that people might assume they've been dating for a few months.

In reality, it's been over three years but it doesn't show much as they still have trouble keeping their hand to themselves. At his apartment building, the elevator door opens to reveal Kyuhyun standing at the other side of the door looking at them with shock written on his face.

"Yunho hyung, who knows I'd meet you here?"

The fake high pitch voice isn't really helping them. Changmin is currently cursing Kyuhyun through his eyes when their eyes meet each other.

"Kyuhyun, are you going to meet Changmin?"

Yunho glances between both of them back and forth, his palm rest on Changmin's lower back.

"No, that person is just confused, hyung. Let's go home. Kyuhyun, I'm sure you got something else to do." 

He twists his body to push Yunho to the front to walk pass his friend. 

"Are you sure, babe? I wouldn't mind --"

"Yes, I'm sure." 

Interlocking their fingers together, he pulls Yunho forcefully until the reach his front door.

"My fingers might fall off if you keep doing this, Changminnie."

Looking at their hands, he slowly loosen his hold and stroke Yunho's fingers.

"Knowing you, you probably would invite him to have full conversations with us. It's a special day for us, remember?"

Using his finger, he traces random line on Yunho's palm. Yunho brings his other hand to his mouth to cover his laugh when he hears the younger's reason.

"Fine, my prince. Now let's go inside to continue our celebration, shall we?"

Drawing a deep breath, Changmin punches the pin number for the door and make a way for Yunho to enter first. Then, he hears a small gasp from the older leading him instinctively look at his direction.

The living room is decorated with a hundred pictures of them together, with some pictures of Yunho alone which he personally takes for him. All the picture are clipped on strings that are hang across the space with decorative light twirl around the string. In the darkness of the living room, it sure produces such a dreamy scene.

"Changminnie?"

Changmin hugs him from behind and snuggle his face on the crook of Yunho's neck.

"Just a little gift for you. I won't be able to repay you for all that you've done for me."

Yunho leans back a little, his hand clasps on Changmin arm that is wrapped around him. 

"What are you saying? It's me who is fortunate enough to receive your love. You could choose an easy path if you decide to be with any of the women who admires you."

He whispers while tilting his head towards Changmin, the insecurity is evident in his voice. Not that he doesn't know, with his look Changmin could charm anyone he wants and live an easier life.

"Seriously? Don't pretend that I don't have it hard with all those bees around you, hyung! I'm really thankful that you're oblivious to their advance most of the times." 

Changmin could make a long list of those people who's ready to risk everything to steal a glance from Yunho, either man or woman. He probably has done a really good deed in his past life that Yunho actually still think he's the one after all this time.

"You're just paranoid, I would notice if there's something like that." 

He rolls his eyes in annoyance before leaving trails of kisses on his shoulder.

"Wait, is that why Kyuhyun was here?"

He groans at the thought. He would definitely make his friend suffers if he actually ruin the surprise just now.

"I didn't get to finish it on time so I had to ask for his help. Who knows that we would run into him at the elevator." He mumbles into Yunho's neck.

Yunho suddenly turn around and press a quick kiss on his lips before he could complain about it.

"Thank you for doing this. It's so beautiful, I really need to think hard to level up with this."

He cups Changmin cheeks and start to leave playful kisses all over his face. Their whispers containing words of love slowly fade through the night.

***

February 29th, 2020

"Hey, it's me who's supposed to carry that."

Kyuhyun hangs around Donghae almost the whole time they are there, they have became close through bickering after meeting through Yunho and Changmin.

"Kyuhyun, why are you still here?"

There's a voice that calls his name, her voice sounds like she's just cried before.

"Mrs. Jung? Is there anything's wrong?"

Yunho's mom looks like she's cried a lot before judging from her eyes but the happy smile on her face is undeniably bright.

"I think you better check on your friend, young man."

Yunho's dad, who is patiently trying to calm his wife, gesture to the room at the side.

He quickly leaves them after excusing himself and enter the room. He notices that his best friend has also cried earlier and his eyes are still brimming with unshed tears.

"Hey, did his mother scold you?"

He receives a glare for that but at least the Changmin he knows has returned. The man wipes his eyes with some tissue before pouting at him.

"Are you an idiot, where have you been? I thought you need to be at my beck and call here."

Changmin checks his reflection on the mirror, making sure there's no trace of tears on his face.

"Do you expect me to stay here when you receive the marriage life talk, you ungrateful brat."

Changmin turns a shade redder with the mention of marriage. He never expect to get married but when Yunho got on one knee with the rings for him last Christmas, he couldn't have been happier.

As expected, since they couldn't get married Korea, they have flew all the way to Spain to hold the marriage. Their guests are only family members and a handful of close friends but for Changmin it's more than he could ask for.

They plan the wedding themselves from picking the venue down to the banquet. With all the things considered, they settle for a garden wedding which is not won't look to stuffy but memorable to everyone.

Kyuhyun is busy helping him with his looks while talking like a bullet train when they hear the signal asking for the grooms to be prepared before he starts to get anxious again.

"How do I look?"

No matter how many times he looks at the mirror, he's still dissatisfied with his appearance.

"Yunho hyung would still marry you if you walk out with a pajama so hurry up, you'll make him wait."

Glancing at the reflection one last time, he fixes his tuxedo and steps out of the door. At the end of the corridor, he sees Yunho's backside who standing firmly behind the glass door that would lead them to the garden. The sight is something he would remember forever when he catches a glimpse of smile on his face when he turns to face him, waiting for him patiently. 

He hold out his hand once he is within touch and their fingers brush against each other, sharing the warmth of their hands before lacing their fingers.

"Are you ready, my groom?"

Yunho lowers his stand slightly and give a kiss to Changmin's knuckle. It feels like his chest would burst with the thousand emotions so he could only grin to answer the question.

***

February 29th, 20**

They're watching the movie together with Yunho resting his head on Changmin's lap. Changmin's hand steadily combs his hair while he voice his amazement at the effects used in the film.

On the table by their side, there's a vase filled with dozen of purple and red roses, as if it's become a tradition for them. 

"Hyung." 

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

There's a snicker coming from Yunho before he pulls Changmin's face towards him.

"I love you, too. Always."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The giver of the purple rose seeks to convey that they has fallen in love with the recipient at the very first sight. Well, as for red rose I guess we all know the meaning right 😉


	6. arc #6

"I like you."

"I don't like men."

Changmin has only spent a week at the capital of France, eager to start his PhD in classical music when he first met Yunho. It was also the first time someone has bluntly confessed to him and he has rejected it without a second thought. 

Luck might not be on his side as it is not the last time he encounters the man when a few weeks later, he found out that the man frequently hangs around the gallery right in front of the cafe where he's working as a part time worker.

Yunho is the one who greets first, as if the rejection never happen.

"Hey, are you new here?"

He tries to avoid the man as the awkwardness from the previous confession is still haunting him.

"Yes, why are you here?"

It might sound a little hostile but he doesn't really know Yunho except for his name and few conversation exchange between them before the confession. He isn't rude by nature but according to his friend he isn't exactly the friendliest human in existence either.

"I hang around here a lot. Guess I'll be seeing you often then."

Yunho grins at him when he grabs for his coffee, before walking away.

***

Fast forward a few months later, they grow quite close as a friend mostly thanks to Yunho's efforts. Changmin slowly become more comfortable and accepting of his presence. Unlike his instant confession, Yunho never actually take any advantage towards Changmin nor making inappropriate advances. 

One day, after works Changmin stops at the art gallery to meet Yunho where he saw the him stares longingly at a painting.

"Hyung?" 

He taps his shoulder lightly, trying to get his attention.

"Changminnie, you're here. Let's go."

He slings his bag on his shoulder and nudge Changmin playfully, wearing a light smile. He walks few steps ahead with Changmin stands at the same spot analysing him from behind, searching for the man he saw a minute ago.

"Changmin, aren't you coming?"

Yunho finally stops when he notice Changmin isn't following him so he turns back and tilt his head in confusion at the younger man. Usually he would match Yunho's steps in no time so he is weirded out as why Changmin remain unmoving.

He notices it looks like Changmin is deep in thought before he realises Yunho is waiting for him, finally start walking towards him once he snaps out of it.

"Let's go, hyung. I went to a cafe at the corner of street the order day and they have this delicious sweet drinks that you would love."

Yunho smiles when he listens to him and let Changmin lead the way. He always think the other's enthusiasm when it comes to food is adorable that he probably forgets Yunho has stayed than longer than him and high likely know about the cafe he's talking about.

***

On a morning in the middle of spring, both of them spend time watching people at Parc Rives de Seine, Yunho along with drawing pads sketching whatever cross his mind. Changmin quietly follows his hand movement, moving smoothly across the paper recreating the scene in front of them.

"Don't you miss Korea sometimes, hyung?"

Yunho halts his pencil, tapping his fingers on the paper slowly.

"More often than not. Talking to you helps a lot, before I'd speak in French or English daily that I even dream in those languages."

Changmin looks around them before turning to Yunho again, scanning some of the tourists around them.

"Don't you have any Korean friends here?"

Yunho leans at the chair this time, looking straight ahead without turning to Changmin.

"I do, but most of them are busy with their own works so I rarely meet up with them. Sometimes there would be exchange students stop by at the gallery so there's that."

"Did you confess to them on the first meeting too?"

He regrets it the moment the question slips from his mouth but luckily Yunho doesn't take it badly, instead he laughs it out quite happily.

"Nope, honestly you're my first victim."

It's very weird somehow he feels relief at the answer but he just take it as he's glad Yunho doesn't mind talking about it. Actually he starts to doubt whether Yunho is serious or teasing him before because all the time they have spent together, he never give any hint about his supposed feeling.

"I'm honoured. But seriously hyung, how long you're going to stay here?"

Moving on Changmin directs the conversation back to its original topic.

"I'm not sure, hopefully it won't be too long. My wish is to be able to proudly showcase my works once I come back."

He has always picture the scene countless time during his lonely days at the foreign city. Yunho still remembers when he decides to stay there in order to sharpen his skills his parents weren't exactly happy.

"Aren't there some of your works at the gallery? I think they're very good."

There's the same longing feeling on Yunho's face for a second but he conceals it immediately although Changmin sure it is the same looks from before.

"It's still not good enough. There's still something missing in those paintings."

He is too used with Yunho being all bright that he feels quite lost when the other seems in despair.

"They all look fine to me. What do you think is lacking with them?"

"It feels like they're soulless, insincere. Looking at them, I feel like I still fail to deliver the warm feelings in my paintings."

Changmin thinks Yunho is the most expressive person he knows but he thinks he understands his struggles. In music, a lot of people can play it properly hitting all the right notes at the right time but not everyone let their emotions being channelled through their playing.

"It's okay, hyung. I believe you'll get it right soon."

***

Yunho is lying upside down on his bed in the small flat when he receives a call from Changmin inviting him to have lunch together after his class. He takes a single glance at the empty canvas a few steps to his right and covers his eyes with his hands. He has never reject any invitation from the man before but there's always first time for everything.

After muttering some polite rejection, he put aside his phone. These past few months have been amazing for him, a little too amazing that it scares him. 

A man can't lose what he doesn't have but for him, it feels like he would lose a lot even without having anything in the first place. 

Spending time with Changmin has been like a breath of fresh air after living everyday for the past six years like he's racing against time. He thrives to be the best and absorbs all the skills he could acquire desperately like a sponge. Unknowingly, despite spending times with his friends there's always that heavy feelings deep inside his heart.

Meeting Changmin, despite the younger man is not the loudest nor the most optimist individual he knows, he feels serene with his way of approach in life. They met when the younger guy was pickpocketed a few blocks away from the gallery. He didn't lose much except from some cash but for most people they would still fret over it but he handles it calmly and even spare his thought on trying not to burden Yunho whom he just met at that time.

His confession on that day is genuine but he accepts the rejection with an open heart, knowing he doesn't have much chance to begin with. When they met for the second time, he thinks that being just friend would be fine.

And it was.

A person's heart is always too stubborn for its own good, adamant despite his rational mind knows better. He falls even deeper for Changmin after that. 

He's falling too fast too soon without a brake on so he knows, he needs to deal with it properly if he wants to protect his heart.

It is his first time being in this kind of situation so he doesn't know what is the right way to manage it but he knows one thing, he needs to know where is the line he shouldn't cross as a starter.

***

He pokes the food in his plate for few times before placing the fork on the table.

"Is the food not matching your taste, Changmin?" 

He is currently having lunch with a group of students who are in the same department as him. In front of him is Renée, a master student with the same supervisor as him. He has heard from a friend that there's talks that she might be interested in him and he was kinda happy when he heard that. Dating a pretty local girl wouldn't hurt, but those thoughts vanish as soon as it appears.

"They're delicious, but maybe I'm just tired."

He doesn't understand why Yunho keeps rejecting his offer to hang out together lately. The first time it happens, he accepts the man's reason without much questions. Now that it has happened several times in a row, it feels like he is just purposely avoiding him.

They exit the restaurant together when Renée suddenly pulls him closer to whisper something to him. He leans towards her a little when he notice the very person he's been look forward to in over two weeks is right the opposite of the street. He's laughing together with an a quite tall man, but still a little shorter than him before he also notice Changmin's presence.

Both of them stare directly at each other perfectly ignoring the person who is beside them.

***

Yunho is surprised to see Changmin after he has just rejected another offer from him earlier today. His gaze slowly moves towards a blonde girl who is standing closely beside him.

"Yunho, is there any problem?"

Yunho shakes his head before grinning at Siwon. He almost forgot what they've been talking about before just because a sight of Changmin.

"Nope, I thought I saw someone I know."

Siwon starts to looks around them, oblivious of the group of students across the street.

"Where? Is it your friend?"

"Not really. I think I saw wrongly, maybe just someone who has similar look."

Yunho starts to walk again with Siwon by his side. He partially hugs Yunho pulling him closer while rubbing their heads together.

"It's a miracle that you survive on your own all the years, Yunho."

He lowers his head to hide a bitter smile on his face.

***

There's no more call from Changmin after that until a week later Changmin waits for him right in front of the gallery.

"Hey."

He thought his eyes are trying to pull a joke on him if Changmin didn't greet him.

"Hey, Changmin. Are you done with your works?"

Yunho also thinks it's a stupid question to ask when Changmin raises an eyebrow at him but he covers it up by playing fool.

"I did, just finish my shift 15 minutes ago. I caught you just in time."

He fiddles with the keys on his hand, suddenly feels like he doesn't know what to say even with being fluent in three languages.

"Oh."

That response seems to finally tick him off when Changmin stops abruptly and grips his arm to hold him.

"Oh? That's it after few weeks without any news?"

Changmin looks annoyed with a hint of anger but his voice remains steady. It reminds him once again why he falls for the man.

"What else should I say? It's just a statement."

"'How have you been?' 'Long time no see.' 'How are your classes?' You used to ask me that even if I didn't say anything first! Now that you have a boyfriend you can't even bother to be my friend anymore, hyung?"

Yunho is startled by the sudden outburst even if it is uttered with an almost seemingly possible calm tone. He looks at his arm that is still being held by Changmin before looking at him properly.

"So this is what it's all about? Speak for yourself, I see that you got yourself a nice girl."

Unexpectedly, the grips on his arm tighten a little almost trying to tell him a point.

"What do you know, hyung? If only you contact me in this one week you would know she's just a friend, just an acquaintance even. Guess I'm no longer that important now you have another man."

He pulls away his arm roughly, directing his intense gaze on the shocked face.

"Whether he's a boyfriend or not why does it matter? You would always be a dear friend to me even if I happen to like another person."

Changmin is surprised with how hard those words hit him. A friend. He knows where he stands before but to have it spelled out along with possibilities having to see Yunho with another person doesn't sound a tiniest bit pleasant too him. 

"You said you like me."

This time it is Yunho who raises his brows at those words. He notices Changmin seems like he has lost his usual composure a little which is unexpected of him.

"I like you, but I'm also clear of your stance. I won't force you to accept me if it isn't what you want."

It might sound like a lie but when they starts to become friend he never tries to persuade Changmin to go back on his words, he is content that they can be friends.

"You should have done that if you meant your words."

Changmin purses his lips, looking like he couldn't believe what he just said himself.

"Do you want me to pursue you because you want me to or because you're afraid I'd leave you for someone special?"

He huffs silently when Changmin couldn't answer him.

"Have you heard about the story of Icarus, Changmin?"

There's a reaction from him this time, a small nod but there's a confused look on his face.

"He wouldn't fall if he didn't fly too close to the sun, but he did. He's been warned and he knew it himself when starts to fly higher."

"What's the relevant of telling that story now?"

He stares fondly at Changmin, lifting his hand to brush against his face but he stops himself midway. 

'He wouldn't like it.'

"Now you're like the sun for me. The closer we are, the more I fall for you. The only one who will fall and hurt is me. I didn't lie when I told you that I like you before, it was true then and I still mean it now."

Changmin looks at his shoes, contemplating on an appropriate response. He is still trying to make a decision when Yunho starts to speak again.

"Listen, I'm not telling you this with any intention. Let's forget about --"

"What if I say I like you too, hyung?"

Yunho's response to his words is unexpected itself. The man only laughs like he just told the funniest kind of joke. It takes a minute before Yunho finally stop and smiles wryly at him.

"Now that I could be no longer like you, suddenly you discover could like a man? Do you know what you are saying?"

There's a flame of fear in his heart listening to how cold Yunho's voice currently. Yunho has always treated him warmly no matter how obnoxious he is sometimes so it feels like he would lose him any moment now.

"I could've changed my mind? I mean, I don't even know what I want before."

Yunho rubs his face in exasperation with his palms.

"How did we actually come down to this? I'd be more sad if you accept my feeling just because of pity or confusion, Changmin."

He tries to deny it before Yunho beats him to it.

"You're just confused. You will have a summer break soon, spend it with your friends. You'll realise what you feel isn't 'like', you're just hanging on a familiar person in this foreign city."

Changmin doesn't know what he actually feel for Yunho but he knows after knowing the man, it isn't impossible that he might be saying the truth when he said he like him too, no matter how small it is compared to Yunho's feelings.

"What should I do after figuring it out?"

He feels like a child again, needing to be instructed even for such a simple thing.

"I'll get myself together too, then we can be like before. Okay?"

Changmin feels like he shouldn't agree to this at all, instead he should ask Yunho to give it a chance to see whether his feeling is real or otherwise.

"Alright."

***

Summer has always been kind to him, he isn't the type that easily affected by heat. This time, he actually starts to work on a new painting and it feels like he has found the missing piece he's been looking for. It feels like he can finally convey his emotion and engrave them onto the pieces.

It is late July when he receives a text from Changmin.

"Hyung, come down. I'm at the park beside your flat."

He goes out immediately and notice there's not a single star on the night sky that night. He can see Changmin even from afar, and fasten his steps to reach him.

"Long time no see, Changminnie."

Changmin smiles at him, unlike their last meeting which ended with only sad smile when they parted ways.

"You too, hyung. Any new updates while I'm away?"

Yunho takes a seat at the bench, liking the atmosphere between them. 

'Maybe it is better this way.'

"Nothing much, just tons of painting and sketching. What about you?"

"Same here, visiting here and there, learning new cultures. What about your boyfriend?"

Yunho sincerely laughs this time, no more hard feelings like a few months ago.

"I didn't get to tell you last time. He's my best friend, he sometimes drops by to visit me here around once or twice a year. I'll let you meet him next time he comes."

Changmin looks at him in perplexity.

"Oh."

"Oh? That's it?"

Using his foot, he nudges Changmin's leg teasingly. He is still standing still in front of him.

"Oh. That's it. By the way, I come to tell you I finally figure out my own feeling."

He knows that they would have to talk about it sooner or later, though Changmin actually comes earlier than he expected.

"That's... good?" 

"You were - are right. After spending time apart, I notice the feeling, it isn't 'like'. Sorry, hyung."

Yunho has predicted it would end up like this but listening to it himself is still kind of painful.

"It's okay, you don't have to apologise."

He means it. Him being hurt is because he doesn't want to give up on his feelings which isn't Changmin's fault at all.

"No, I should because it's the very least I could do."

All of sudden there's a warm hand cupping his face, lifting them to meet a pair of brown eyes. He continues to stare when Changmin lower his face and when he feels Changmin's breathe graze his face, he slowly close his eyes.

In the same time, there's a soft lips land on his. There's almost an untamed eagerness from Changmin during the kiss, unlike his usual calm demeanour.

They break apart when it feels like he's running out of air in his lungs. Changmin's hand is still caressing around his jawline, his touch is gentle.

"Is this another pity party?"

Once he found his voice, he asks Changmin hesitantly. 

"I told you it isn't 'like'"

There's another quick kiss press against his lips. 

"I found out, after all those times I've spent with you, you have slowly stolen my heart. The more I know about you, I've come to learn there's more to you than the man I first met."

If this is a dream, it's a dream he would vehemently refuse to wake up from.

"Did you hit your head somewhere during the vacation?"

He receives a pinch on both cheeks from Changmin who is already furrowing his eyebrows with a pout at him.

"I'm serious right now, hyung. Do you know how long I tried to do this, how to convince you to pick me instead of your 'boyfriend'? I'm sorry that I'm not as selfless as you."

Finally bringing up his own hand to Changmin's face, using his thumb to stroke the other's lower lips.

"I want you as you are, so I'm fine with that."

Changmin finally moves his hands lower, hugging Yunho into his embrace.

"I should've told you sooner. Sorry, hyung. I'm kinda dense with this kind of thing."

Yunho places his hand on Changmin's waist, squeezing it a little.

"If you keep being sorry I would assume you're really pitying me now, Changminnie."

"It's not, I really love you hyung."

Changmin immediately denies it, push Yunho away a little to look at him when confessing his feeling. It is rare to see Changmin being frantic but he thinks he has fallen too deep as even in this kind of situation Changmin looks adorable in his eyes.

"Je t’aime mon amour."

***

"Finally, what do you feel now?"

Yunho looks at the people around with bright eyes, grinning widely at Siwon.

"It's like a dream comes true. Having this a year after I come back, it's like something I wouldn't be able to imagine before."

He had spend another three years with Changmin at Paris before both of them decided to return to Korea. Those three years is a lot more fulfilling than all the times he has spent without Changmin before.

They continue to chat when Siwon unconsciously starts humming along the soft background music. 

"Beethoven? Ah, such a shame. I'm more into Chopin though."

"Beethoven for sure would match all these pieces better, it's a combination that would enhance both the paintings and the composition."

Changmin answers on Yunho's behalf out of the blue and takes his place beside the artist.

"Changmin, I thought you wouldn't make it. Yunho told me you got some meeting with the administrations."

Standing with both of them, he feels quite awkward since he's still dressed in formal looks as he has head there straight from the work. Yunho's hand on his back makes him feel more at ease.

"The dean receives an 'emergency call' from home so they dismiss it earlier."

"I've heard rumors floating around that his wife is really scary, guess it is true."

Yunho turns his attention back on him this time, with the corner of his lips turn upwards a little.

"How on earth did you get that kind of information?"

"She likes to socialise with high class ladies so I happen to hear it from my mom. There's also rumors she likes to keep an eye on handsome young man. You better watch out, don't come to me later saying that she has taken Changmin away from you."

Yunho moves his hand from the back to hold Changmin around the waist, pulling the younger man closer to him. Changmin uses his foot to kick Siwon on his shin but misses the target terribly when he skips out of range to leave them alone, waving at them without even looking back.

"You won't leave me for woman like that right?"

Changmin scowls at him but there's no effect to it as there's clear affection in his eyes when looking at Yunho.

"I won't leave you for anyone, men or women. Fullstop."

Yunho beams with pleasure before leaning to whisper into his ears, which leads to the tips of his ears turn bright red. Yunho quickly walks away from him after that before he could react. The matching platinum bands on their ring fingers twinkle under the space lighting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My sweet darling cutiepie boy Yunho, the only thing on my mind when writing this is his infamous rhino drawing. I'm not any better than him so it's still good for me XD


	7. arc #7

"Sunbaenim, we got some tips from unanimous person about the case."

The station is in a chaos as armed robbery turned murder of a politician has made they receive unwanted attention from the media. It's been 4 days and they still don't have any clues or crucial evidence to detain any suspects.

"Maknae-ya, how many tips have we received in these past days?"

An older detective, Woohyuk throws crumpled paper ball at him, hitting his shoulder. Changmin bends down to collect the paper and throws it into the bin by the desks.

He knows all the tips he has passed to them are either proven hoax or making the case becomes even more confusing but in the end, he's just a newbie so he has to adhere to standard protocol.

"He said that there's a car usually parked in front of the convenient store at the end of the street. We can probably get the black box recording from it of it was parked at the same place at that time."

Some of them don't make an effort to move after listening to him, but Woohyuk springs up from his chair and scolds him for not telling this information immediately. When he passed by Changmin, he hit his head with the file in his hand. Changmin who does not expect the sudden blow instantly wince and cover his head when it gets hit by the sharp corner of the file.

He pesters him to quickly gather his things and follow him to inspect the said car when suddenly their colleagues straighten up in their seats and starts flipping through random files on the table.

"Detective Han, where are you going?"

Turning around, he understands the reasons in their change of behaviour. Jung Yunho.

'They could have given me a signal.'

"Lieutenant Jung. I haven't seen you all day today, you must've been busy meeting the reporters."

The face in front of him remains stoic, and if possible his eyes probably looks even colder that seconds ago.

"You haven't answered my question, sergeant."

He scowls inwardly and turns to Changmin hoping he would answer for him. Changmin at that time doesn't even look at his direction, as he is standing with his head down staring at the desk surface in front of him interestedly.

"Me and maknae here are planning to confirm a tip we received just now, right?"

Slinging an arm around the taller man's shoulder, he tries to convince the young lieutenant in hope he would let them go without further questions. He has been actively avoiding that man as he always manage to irk him but he knows he cannot afford to offend him either.

At his side, Changmin is still bowing his head refusing to look at Yunho. His hair falls to partially hide his eyes when he lowers his head.

"Sure, you better go now to show your efforts at solving this case."

Gritting his teeth at the cynical dismissal, Woohyuk grips Changmin tightly by the arm and hands the key to him. They are have just taken a few steps when he hears Yunho calls his name. Slowly turning with a forced smile, he sees Yunho is still focusing at the documents in his hand.

"I think it's better if you go with Detective Jang, I need Changmin to help me sorting out some documents."

Detective Jang Hyunsung is his senior in service. If he goes with him, it means he has to do all the works which is a lot harder for him, unlike if he went with Changmin.

"This kiddo is a detective now, you can just ask those officers to help you with simple tasks."

"I'm aware he's a detective. You may leave with him now, Detective Jang. Shim Changmin, follow me."

Jang Hyunsung immediately makes his moves and walks several steps in front of Woohyuk. When Yunho leaves the room with Changmin walking behind him, the other detectives are relief they don't get scolded for lack of progress in their part.

"Life is hard for the maknae, it seems."

"Yeah, both options suck for him. Whether tagging along with Woohyuk or stuck with Lieutenant Jung."

"That Jung is only a few years older than him, he doesn't have to be that hard on that kid."

***

The only sounds in the hallway is their resounding footsteps. Changmin silently curses his luck that day.

Even if he is reluctant to follow Woohyuk, he would rather working like a dog when accompanying that man rather than being here.

He has been promoted to a corporal detective for a few weeks but it seems like it is just another insignificant fact to the other, as Yunho has been treating him just like he always did when he was still a measly officer ever since their first meeting over a year ago.

~~~

"Do you know anything about the new lieutenant that will arrive today?"

"I heard he's from the HQ, bet it would be another stuck up rule following prick."

He had listened the others speculating about the new man since the morning and he felt bad for whoever that person is. As they were stationed in Seoul, he had to admit they received more reports and cases so his colleagues would always complaint about their superiors whenever they got chances.

"Come on guys, I bet he's not that bad."

"May I know which one is Officer Shim Changmin?"

Out of nowhere, a commanding voice halted all the giggles and chatters in the staff resting room. All eyes were directed at a tall man with undeniably handsome face at the door. Unfortunately, there was no hint of amusement on his face when he was looking at them one by one.

"It's me, sir. Is there anything wrong?"

When the almond shaped eyes landed on him, he started to feel his heart beating rapidly, undoubtedly thanks to the intense stare aimed at him.

"How long have you been a police officer?"

Changmin wasn't sure whether he was supposed to answer it or it was a rhetorical question. More importantly, he didn't recognise the man though he had a feeling it was the person they had been talking about earlier.

"Can you imagine my surprise when I saw this report? Not only it's not up to standard procedure, it's also looks like you wrote it carelessly as it's merely a student's missing bag case."

He could feel his face heated up being scolded in front of the others, although he realised his mistake. He stared back at the man, trying to think of a reason to defend himself.

"There wasn't much help the student from the student himself. Furthermore other than his wallet, there wasn't any important items inside the bag and he said there wasn't much money inside it."

The man sneered at his words before stalking towards him and stood directly in front of him.

"You really know how to talk. If only you use this skill when someone files a report."

He knows he probaby looks stupid with his burning face but he still held the other man accusing stare. He felt like he was being mocked by the dark set of eyes that hadn't left his face since it landed on him a moment ago.

"You're really a stubborn one, aren't you? I wonder if that's how you were taught in the academy before. Rewrite this thing and make sure it has all the details, just like how it's supposed to be. Officer. Shim."

No one dared to leave the room during the entire exchange and they waited for him to leave before approaching Changmin. The attentions made him felt nauseous but he was busy calming the rage inside him from being humiliated like an idiot.

"Wow, dude. You really defended him for nothing."

Donghae tried to calm him down by massaging his shoulders, even when he knew Changmin was never fond of random touching.

"Told you he would be a stuck up prick."

Ryeowook remained at his seat but he looked sympathetically at his friend.

"Who cares about all that, have you seen the man? That is one top quality beef there."

"Yah, Shim Changmin. You're so lucky that he actually stared at you."

"More like being 'stared down' in his situation, though."

"It doesn't matter, I almost wanted to jump in front of him just now! Going to work doesn't sound so tiring anymore from now on."

Changmin ignored all the talks around him. He decided that he would do anything to prove he could do his job properly than whatever expected from him.

~~~

When they finally arrives at Yunho's table, he stands still with his eyes remain low. He stays like that for a few more minutes without bothering to ask what should he do next.

"You're really a stubborn one, aren't you? Are you going to stay unmoving here if I don't say anything first?"

Changmin lifts his head and notice that Yunho is still facing away from him but he turns his head a bit into his direction. He isn't sure how should he responds so he just keep his mouth shut, waiting for any orders so they can part ways quickly.

Yunho sighs before completely turning to face Changmin, noticing the younger man looks even more stiff with his change of stance.

"How's your head?"

The question is quite out of the blue so Changmin dumbfoundedly returns Yunho's gaze with his eyes widen a little bit more than usual.

"Excuse me?"

His response amuses Yunho as he smiles briefly before returning to his neutral expression. Using his finger, he points at his own head while explaining to Changmin.

"I saw Sergeant Han knocked your head with a file earlier, does it still hurt?"

"No, it doesn't."

He sounds hesitant as he is still in disbelief that Yunho would ask him that. Yunho takes it as he is trying to covers it up so he steps into Changmin's space and pulls his head closer to him. He runs his hand through the hair to see if there's any injury but Changmin flinches in shock at his action.

"What's wrong? Does it hurt?"

He starts to think that he probably got hit harder than he thought. That would explain the absurdity of the situation. For all the times he has known Yunho, this is the first time he has displayed a humane emotion towards him. Changmin is quite confident there's concern in his voice just now.

"No, I'm fine."

Yunho doesn't seems to believe him but he drops his hands to his sides, moving to distance himself.

"If you say so. Go and take a break for a while, it must've been hard for you these couple of days, since you're the youngest in the team."

Changmin would drop his jaw if the one in front him isn't Yunho. But he wouldn't be too surprised either if it's anyone else. He decides that he really needs to go to see a doctor after his shift ends.

"I ... didn't you say you need my help to sort out the files?"

"Ah, I'll do it myself later. I need to report to the Chief now, you may stay here if you want."

***

"Are you telling me that happened for real?"

Kyuhyun looks at Changmin as if he doubts what he has just heard and Ryeowook is more interested in looking at his empty glass. Ryeowook has been transferred to the same police station as Kyuhyun for a few months now so they hang out less often due to their own hectic life.

"Why would I make up this kind of story?"

Just as he ends the sentence, Ryeowook pour his glass with soju to the brim and make a show to down it in one shot before giving him a pointed look.

"I'm sure you wouldn't do that kind of thing, Changmin."

Changmin doesn't particularly like the tone the shorter man is using despite outwardly he sounds like he's supporting him. Both of them should know him well as he practically shared every encounters he had with Yunho to them, no matter how short it is. He feels wronged when he is at the receiving end of his friend unspoken accusation.

"What's with that look?"

"What 'look'? I have this face since my first day on this world, sorry that I can't look like Lieutenant Jung."

Changmin hears clearly what Ryeowook is implying when he purposely purrs Yunho's name at the end. Snatching the soju bottle from the other, he pours himself the drink while glaring at him.

Kyuhyun only laughs at those words and praises Ryeowook for improving his sense of humour by leaps and bounds, much to his disapproval.

"On a serious note, isn't it good if he treats you nicely - I mean, slightly better now? Putting aside your dislike for him, we all know he's really good at his job right?"

Changmin grunts at that knowing it's something that even he cannot deny no matter how much he cannot stand the man. Though the much older sergeants at his department dislike the young lieutenant, at the end of the day everyone knows he always complete his tasks perfectly.

"Here, let's do a toast and hope they will be more civil with each other from now on."

***

'Okay, let's do this one more time Shim Changmin. There must be something you can get here.'

He has spent the entire day watching the video recording that the two detectives manage to retrieve from the car's black box. Unfortunately, so far there isn't much he can get from the clip.

He's alone at the desk when half of his teammates are dispatched to the neighbourhood to question the residents and the other half along with their team leader are going through the evidents one more time.

As he is about to give up with the clips, suddenly he notes something suspicious at the background. Coincidentally at the same time Yunho approaches him and shoves a tablet PC in front of him.

"Are you analysing the recording too?"

It's obvious what he's been doing but for the time being, he push aside the sarcastic remarks bubbling inside him.

"Yes, I think I finally found something off with it."

From the screen in front of him, he can tell that Yunho also discover the same thing.

Although the video isn't manipulated, the scene in it is clearly under the suspect's control. The only flaw is that the sudden appearance of the moving truck is clearly not in their plan and it probably could be their chance to expose their face if they manage to trace the truck.

"Where are the others? We need to check out this truck at the moving company now."

Changmin awkwardly looks around him before collecting his jacket on the chair.

"Everyone's out right now. I'll go with you, it would be better than going alone."

At first he thought Yunho would rebuke the idea but he just nods slightly and tell him to inform the leader.

***

Probably it would be a better idea if he told Yunho to go alone as he can't hide his uneasiness being in the limited space with the man. Yunho hasn't uttered a word ever since they entered the car and he regrets the moment he suggested to follow the man when he doesn't know how to act casual around him at all.

He steal quick glances at his sides a few times but judging from his expression, Yunho doesn't show any sign of dislike or uneasiness towards him.

"What is it?"

"Huh?"

"You keep glancing this way, I'm guessing you got something to say."

Changmin is not sure how he's going to retell this episode to his friends but he knows he need to make some believable excuses for now. Letting his hands still on his laps, he spurts out whatever that crosses his mind first.

"It's... it's just... it's the first time I work with you."

He regrets it the moment he listens to his own reasoning but he hides it by boldly turns his face to look at Yunho this time. He notices that Yunho just cocks his brow before smirking - wait, smiles - amusedly at his answer.

"After your appointment as detective we did work on several cases as a team, but yes, it's true this is the first one we have to go for a task together."

Changmin is reminded why he dislikes him. Even at thing like this he needs to correct him when he can just accept it for both of their sake. It can save them from further uncomfortable situation.

"You don't like me much, aren't you?"

He is silenced by the question for a few seconds, albeit knowing it's not the smartest move. He doesn't do it deliberately. He has said countless times since his first time being reprimanded by Yunho he dislikes him a lot - though knowing his mistake at that time - but when he is asked directly by the person himself, suddenly he doubts the truth of his own words all this time.

"What makes you think so?"

Deciding to avoid answering the question, he replies with another question himself. He hopes Yunho doesn't see through his trick or at least doesn't point it out.

"Just an instinct."

Changmin studies his face and he doesn't see any hint of anger on his feature. He's not sure whether Yunho is very good at managing his expression or he doesn't care enough to feel offended to be disliked by someone like him.

"Aren't you mad if your assumption is right?"

When they're stopping at a traffic light, Yunho turns to look at him without a word. He keeps it until Changmin is fidgeting under his gaze, before facing the front once again when the signal turns green

"I can't force people to like me if they don't want to. Plus, I know some people show clear dislike towards me so it's not something new for me."

Changmin knows who Yunho is referring to when it comes to their team. He feels like he needs to deny it but he would be the one who's lying if he does that.

In the end, he doesn't say anything more and both of them stop speaking about it until they reach their destination.

***

Changmin doesn't has any lone moment with Yunho for the next three days. When they meet each other, they are usually surrounded by the other colleagues.

On Friday, he is ordered to retrieve an old case file from the third floor but when he's inside the files room, he hears Yunho's voice talking to someone. He decides to continue his searching and prefer to avoid greeting them since it seems like they're just stopping to collect something at the front drawers. His position is hidden from them due to the shelves separating them.

"According to the news, you guys caught the suspect early this morning. Do you think he's your guy?"

Changmin joined the others to watch the interrogation earlier but the suspect refused to say a word. The evidences are all pointing towards him and he can't prove his alibi either so they're just waiting for him to admit his crime.

"I'm sure he is. We just need something more to push him to get his confession."

Even when he can't see his face, he can imagine Yunho's determined face when saying that. Unconsciously, he smiles to himself at that thought.

"Sure you do. Most importantly, I want to ask you- how is the maknae doing? It's his first big case, right?"

Changmin is startled when he notices Yunho's friend is referring to him out of the blue. He nervously holds his breath waiting the other to talk about him.

"He's someone I observed myself since the beginning, of course he's doing fine. The others are pretty hard on him though but he'd survive."

'Observed?'

"Aren't you being bias because of his 'pretty face and attentiveness', Yunho-ya?"

There's ruffling sounds as if someone is being shoved and obnoxious laughter that for sure doesn't come from Yunho.

"Hyung, we agree not to talk about it. I said it one time, and I was drunk!"

Changmin slowly crouch on the floor when he almost drop a file he's been holding for a while. He's grateful the sound is not loud enough to alarm the two men.

"Aww,, look at our cute Yunho with his one-sided crush."

"Stop it. It's not a crush and I know how to differentiate professional and private matter."

Changmin knows he needs to record this as a proof he's not hallucinating but he's frozen at the spot from shocks. He doesn't think the other man is speaking the truth but he doesn't want it to be a total nonsense either. He lost track of their banters and when he's focused again he hears Yunho's calm voice.

"... based on his records he's good from the start, he just needs something to make his strengthen his determination. Looking at his performance, he has the talent for it."

"At least tell him you don't mean any harm. You don't have to keep pretending to ignore his efforts but praise him only in his records. He'll hate you more if you keep being this way."

There's a long pause after that before he hears footsteps moving away.

"It's good enough if by this method he can show his full potential. In life, you win some, you lose some."

When they shut the door, Changmin let himself sits on the floor to process what he has just heard.

***

Since that day, he actively avoid direct meeting with Yunho. Even when the team is celebrating he desperately tries to wriggle off from joining them but since he's the youngest, apparently it's compulsory for him to come along. Yunho back off from the dinner at the last minute due to personal reason.

He notices the mocking glare from some of his seniors when Yunho excused himself but he pretends not to understand the meaning behind it. He's too busy dwelling on his prejudiced and guilt towards Yunho for over a year long.

Changmin keeps trying to convince himself he's not fully at fault as he doesn't know his intentions. The more logical side of his conscience tells him that he shouldn't have rattled about Yunho to his friends when he barely knows about him at the time.

The week after their celebratory dinner, almost all the team is present at their own tables when they watch they news about the case.

"Where's our dearest Lieutenant Jung right now? He shouldn't miss his daddy appearing on the news."

Looking up from the screen in front of him, Changmin looks up at the Police Commisioner General on the television. It was revealed after a few months he arrived that Yunho is his son when someone from Human Resource spread the gossips. Looking at the older man on screen, he assumes Yunho probably took after his mother more since other than their nose and general impression, there's not much similarities between him and the older man although he has to admit his father still retains his handsome features at his age.

"This case involves high ranking politician. He must get praised by his daddy for solving it."

Woohyuk's voice is filled with obvious disdain followed by laughters from the others. Changmin might have talked about Yunho out of spite before but he never did it so publicly and he never made fun of him for being a son of a powerful figure. It's obvious for anyone with functioning eyes that Yunho never slacks when it comes to works.

"Do you think he even mentioned our contribution in front of his father?"

Changmin grips his pen tightly when his team leader casually asks an older detective next to him provocatively.

"He would be too shameless if he didn't. In a few years, we probably need to bow even lower to him when he rise higher in ranks thanks to his connections."

There's a few people loudly agree with the statements but those who don't only keep their head buried into their works. He feels that it is unfair no one steps up to at least defend Yunho so he brazenly express his opinion.

"You guys shouldn't talk about him like that when you don't even know him personally. We all know he works as hard as all of us when we receive cases."

They are stunned for a moment before Woohyuk mockingly laughs at him.

"Maknae, what's gotten into you? Don't act like a saint, I know you dislike him. Don't tell me you never talk behind his back before?"

He's frustrated that he can't proudly deny the accusation so he decides to leave the room before he does something he would regret.

"What happened, Shim? Not so righteous anymore?"

He ignores the taunts and strides without looking back. He clenches his fists trying to suppress his anger that is mostly directed towards himself for failing to deny the things they said.

Just as he exits the door, he found Yunho is standing right beside it with a grim expression on his face. He instantly raises his head looking at Changmin when he notices he has stopped in front of him.

"Lieutenant Jung."

"Changmin, what a nice surprise. I haven't seen you these few days."

Yunho's greets him casually and he wears his usual neutral expression. Changmin opens and closes his mouth a few times trying to form coherent words.

"I was quite busy."

His says meekly but he couldn't find himself to care about it. He can still hear the others' laughing voice from their position and he's paling wondering how much did Yunho hear what they had talked about before.

"I want to deliver the documents that has just arrived from HQ but I think I'll just pass this to you. I still need to go to the second floor after this."

After handing him the envelopes, Yunho immediately turns his back to walk away. Before he can stop himself, Changmin rush to his side to stop him.

"Did you hear anything earlier?"

Yunho takes a deep breath before giving a small smile for him. He reaches out his hand to pat Changmin a few times on the shoulder.

"It's okay, nothing I haven't heard before. Don't get into trouble with your seniors over unworthy matters, Changmin-ah."

He can only stare at the envelope in his hand after that. He didn't get to apologise but Yunho still had the heart to smile and gave him advice. He weakly steps back into the room and hands the documents to his team leader.

"Where did you get this, maknae?"

"I ran into Lieutenant Jung outside."

He makes direct eye contacts with everyone at the table and he can see the same thing in their eyes.

"Where did you see him?"

Focusing back at his computer screen, he mindlessly answer the question as his energy is draining from his body.

"Just outside the door when I went out."

***

"Wookie, I don't think I can face him after this."

After he got him that night, he did the first thing he's been itching to do since the incident. He calls Ryeowook and tells him everything from the conversation he overheard at the files room until the event that day.

As he can only contact his friend through the phone, he's been pacing around the entire time he's speaking to the device. His friend lets him finished his narrative before intercepting.

"So, you're trying to say all these time this Jung Yunho is a nice guy and now you feel guilty for being a bitch towards him?"

He would kick Ryeowook if he's in front of him right now but he knows this is the best option he has. Ryeowook might have a sharp mouth but at least he's more sensible than Kyuhyun. Asking for a solution from Kyuhyun would be like running in a circle. They're both hopeless when it comes to thing like this.

"Yes. Now please help me to at least makes me feels less of a monster."

Changmin hears Ryeowook mutters something about being a fool but he lets it slide as he still needs the guy.

"If it helps, you've been ranting about him because you want him to acknowledge you and along the way, it becomes worse because you're too dense to notice your fixation towards him has developed into something more serious than a crush - borderline obsession if you ask me."

Changmin gawks at his phone in disbelief and he is so close to end the call before deciding against it. Forcing a smile, he slowly requests Ryeowook to explain himself as he tries to stop himself from throwing away his phone.

"Most people I know, when they hate someone they probably would talk about something that annoys them once or twice and that's it, because they despise to think let alone talk about something that they can't stand. Meanwhile in your case, we probably know every single thing that Yunho did without being present there ourselves. You basically worship him while keeping on your facade. Like that boy everyone know during kindergarten who would make fun of the one he likes. Do you need me to explain more, Mr. Smartypants?"

He winces at the fake sweetness tone Ryeowook uses at the end and winces once more when he processes the explanation.

"I'm not drunk enough for this. And you're supposed to help me feels better, not, drilling this realisation into me."

Suddenly he hears Kyuhyun's voice from the speaker. He knows that Ryeowook is stuck at the station tonight since he got something to do but what he doesn't know is that Kyuhyun is there as well.

"Chwang, the faster you tell the man and get rejected the faster you can end our misery. I'll allow you cry on my shoulder this time."

"Cho Kyuhyun, don't you dare to jinx something I'm not even sure of. That's why I didn't call you, dumbass."

There's another sound of combined laughter this time that tempts him to tap the red icon and just head to a dreamless sleep.

"Oh, before I forgot, I know I mock you a lot but I want you to know you I respect you a lot. You actually set your eyes on such hot specimen, I've never seen someone who's determined to get rejected."

He power off his phone without second thought.

***

The next day at work, when Yunho joins them to discuss a case they receive from another police station, the friction from tense air in the meeting room is almost visible. Everyone is sitting with their back too straight and eyes glued on the screen with only occasional questions from their team leader.

Once everyone is dismissed, Changmin stays seated while Yunho is still organising the paper and pictures.

"is there anything you're not clear from the briefing, Changmin?"

Silently counting from one until ten to calm his nerves, Changmin hurriedly makes an advance towards Yunho before he chickened out.

"I'm sorry for whatever you heard.. or didn't hear yesterday. I'm sorry I didn't say anything when I was asked whether I talked about you behind your back. I'm - "

"It's okay. I told you before, it would be impossible if I want to force people to like me. It's not like I have likable characters either."

Changmin can see clearly Yunho tries to smile to assure him but he only stares blankly at it. He is left alone one more time before he got to say everything he planned to say. The Yunho he always see around rarely shows distinct emotion but when he thinks back the words he have said, the man certainly isn't as unfeeling as he appears to be.

'I know some people show clear dislike towards me...'

'...nothing I haven't heard before.'

Changmin wonders how often does he face something like he can just brush it off when most people would at least get mad at the party involved.

He closes the door of the meeting room feeling ten times worse than when he entered the room earlier.

***

It takes him another one week to seize another chance to catch Yunho when he's alone. During the whole week he tried to behave better when Yunho was around. If Yunho did notice something is different with him, he did a good job on ignoring the changes.

Changmin has been waiting at the parking lot for almost 45 minutes when he finally sees Yunho.

"Lieutenant Jung."

"What are you doing here? Do you need a ride back?"

He's been standing still for almost an hour but his heart is racing like he has just finished a marathon. He licks his lips before meeting Yunho's eyes.

"I might annoy you but I really need to apologize."

Yunho exhales loudly before using a hand to grip his arm, shaking him lightly.

"You really don't have to do this. It's okay-"

"How can it be 'okay'? You directly heard people talking about you, mocking you! I was there. You're supposed to lash out at me, scold me. You're not supposed to accept those insults without reacting."

It's clear Yunho didn't expect his reaction. He looks at Changmin's free hand that is already gripping his arm. Letting go of his grasp on the younger man's arm, he pulls away Changmin's hand from him but he holds onto his hand loosely.

"The more I react, the harder it is for people to accept me. As if people don't think I'm difficult enough without all that. It's the same for you, right?"

Changmin expects Yunho to at least raise his volume towards him but he only retorts with a tired tone. Looking at their hand that is still loosely connected, he clutches the larger hand firmer.

"You're not unlikeable."

This time Yunho is taken aback with his words. He looks confused with what Changmin is trying to say.

"In the meeting room, you said you don't have likeable characters."

He frowns slightly trying to recall their conversation. After he seems to remember, Changmin continues without waiting for Yunho's response.

"I think you're admirable. You treat others without letting their actions towards you become a hindrance. You give everyone the same chances even when they treat you poorly. You don't let personal feelings affect your decision at works. You're readily accepting of others when they don't even deserve it. You work harder than others but you don't even complain or make a show out of it. You quietly takes care of a lot of things without people knowing your effort."

Yunho gapes at him when he finishes his rant. Changmin thinks the tip of his ears is probably red by now but he'll blame the cold weather for it. When he finally let go of Yunho's hand to reduce his embarrassment, he hears him chuckle.

"I'm flattered you actually think nicely about me, Changmin. This is probably the longest talks we have since we met and I'm pretty confident that you hate me before."

He should know when to stop but now he'll blame the adrenaline rush as the reason he's running his mouth thoughtlessly.

"I thought I hate you too."

Yunho laughs heartily at his straightforward admission. It's his first time seeing Yunho looking as carefree as this and he thinks he's pretty amazing for managing to convince himself that he hated this guy before.

"You're one box of surprises for someone who's usually so quiet."

Changmin only laughs sheepishly at the remarks, his fingers are tingling to cling to Yunho's again.

"When did you know you don't hate me then?"

"When I realised that I've actually fallen for you."

He shuts his mouth immediately when he registers that he has accidentally said it aloud. He doesn't plan to tell Yunho about it and judging from his reaction, the man doesn't expect the revelation either.

"I - I dont -"

"You're going too far if it's only because of the guilt, maknae. I'll let you off for joking about something like this time."

When he sees that Yunho has schooled his feature once again, he feels like he should just go through his unplanned confession. He hates letting things being left hanging halfway and it's already awkward enough so squeezing a rejection between them wouldn't change much.

"Apparently I have the same mentality with a 5 year old so I didn't realise my feeling until recently. You can reject me now so I can get over it and complain to my friends later."

Bracing himself for whatever words Yunho might use, he think his heartbeats are too loud in the silence that accompanied them. Changmin doesn't dare to look at him as he thinks he has used up all his share of stupidity and bravery so the next best thing he can do is slowly retreats back hoping he can disappear into thin air.

"Well, I don't mind that much usually but since you have admitted and apologised several times, I forbid you to complain about this to your friends. We're going to be busy after this so I don't think I have time for another apology."

Changmin thinks Kyuhyun would never let him forget this if he knew about it. He wants to leave as soon as he can before he turns bright red so he mumbles his agreement which is only loud enough for Yunho to hear him.

"Good. Now hop in, I'll drop you off. I'll need to get on your friends' good sides."

He finally catches Changmin's attention with the invitation and statements.

"Eh?"

"If I'm going to be your boyfriend, it's the least I can do. I'll make up for those times you spend on disliking me."

Changmin wants to deny his words but he has more important thing he wants to confirm.

"Wait, does this means you like me too?"

He might have fall a little bit more for the man when he receives the brightest smile in return. It's already considered a privilege if one can see Yunho's smile at workplace usually because he usually put on a serious face. Today he's lucky enough to see both him laughing and smiling at him which makes he becomes greedy for more.

"I won't bother to hear out your confession if I don't like you. So, are you ready to leave?"

Fixing his bag straps on his shoulder, he tries to hide is smile from Yunho but failing terribly at that. All he knows is he'll has great time boasting about it to his friends and will gladly receives their teasing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the result of my obsession with how good Yunho looked in that with outfits during Your Present. It's been over a year since then but still can't get over it. The one where he used black tie with white shirt~ ♡


	8. arc #8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so.sad that the tour has officially ended. It's shameless but human's greed is really something else. I already want another Toho tour :(

Somehow along the way, Yunho didn't realise that he had fallen in love. When he knew about it, he sincerely told the person his deepest feelings without caring about the outcome.

The thing about love is there would never be a constant formula for it. Who. When. Where. How. Why. All the questions are useless in the face of love.

What Yunho didn't foresee was the heartbreak that he had to go through when his love wasn't reciprocated. He had accepted the rejection with a dejected smile and left to mend his broken heart but he didn't regret the confession one bit. He had taken his chance and it was better than being drowned in a series of what ifs.

And that was his story.

***

~ _2 years later_ ~

"I'm home."

Yunho takes off his shoes and arranges it neatly before heading to the kitchen. When he drops his bag on the couch, he notices a bright-eyed man grinning widely waiting for him to notice his presence.

"Siwon. What are you doing here?"

He stops in the track before being engulfed by a hug from the man. He has always liked Siwon for his friendliness and enthusiasm. They share something in common in that aspect.

They are interrupted by another voice coming from behind him and from his peripheral vision Yunho can see the other person is already standing beside him.

"He comes to borrow some books. For someone who is so rich, you would have thought he would buy them on his own."

Releasing himself from the hug, Yunho can finally see his housemate clearly. It seems like Changmin spend his weekend staying at home since he's only dressed in plain shirts with his signature sweatpants. His stubble is more apparent than when they had last seen each other in the morning.

"Where's the fun in it if I buy everything I want? There are things that we need to put in more effort for it instead of money."

When he takes the books from Changmin, he smiles meaningfully at him. He doesn't look fazed when he only gets a wry smile in return.

"I agree with him. Don't be stingy, Changminnie. It's not like you'll be out of books to read if you lend him some."

Yunho steals a pinch on Changmin's cheek and quickly move to a safe distance while laughing at the unamused pout as the result of his action. He proceeds with walking across the room to reach the kitchen.

At the living room, Changmin only stares emptily at Siwon who recklessly toss the books into his his bag. He remains at the spot waiting for him to leave.

Siwon busies himself with his phone for a while before taking out a package from his bag when Yunho comes back into the view. He takes Changmin's left hand and place a gift bag into it.

"I just got back from LA the other day and thought that I should get something for both of you. Here's yours, hyung."

Walking to Yunho, he hands him the an unidentical bag. Taking it with unsuspecting smile, he takes the bag and peek inside it.

When he catches the glimpse of the item his eyes widen animatedly and in an instant the cover is gone. He marvels at the signed vinyl records album and holds it with utmost care. He caresses the signature in amazement before redirecting his focus at Siwon.

"How?"

Siwon only laughs at the breathless question. At their sides, Changmin looks back and forth between the vinyl and Yunho but it goes unnoticed by either of them.

"I met an avid collector and managed to get this with a good deal. Do you like it?"

Changmin beats Yunho by a second and speaks up first while closing their distance to get a closer look at the record.

"How can you bear to part with such precious thing, hyung? Are you really okay with giving Yunho hyung this?"

It's like he is snapped back to reality, Yunho looks warily at the gift when he realises its value. He's closed to giving it back to Siwon when he hears the quiet, "Don't you dare."

"I'll be really hurt if you return something I got specially for you, hyung."

It makes Yunho feels troubled but in the end he decides to accept it to make things easier. He gratefully thanks Siwon for the gift and all of them naturally falls into conversation about his trip.

It is unfortunate when the conversation is cut short when Siwon receives a phone call from work and he reluctantly announces that he has to leave. Both of them walk him to the door and he doesn't leave before making a promise to return Changmin's books as fast as possible.

After Siwon has left, Changmin asks to look at the vinyl, which Yunho happily let him holds it.

"Do you like it that much, hyung?"

"Are you kidding me? I can't believe he really gives it just like that, he actually remembers though I just mentioned about it in passing before."

Changmin only smirks when Yunho excitedly told how Siwon actually know about his interests. Knowing Yunho, he's certain that the man has accidentally overshared a lot of things without his own knowledge.

"You must be ecstatic yourself with the gift he got you. That signed baseball jersey looks like something you'd go crazy about for weeks."

Holding the material in hand, Yunho smoothen it with delicate. He isn't really obsessed with the sports but he knows a lot about it as Changmin often drags him to watch the game on TV or listen to his analysis the day after.

"I'm afraid I can't afford the price I have to pay for it though."

His disheartened response brings confusion to Yunho. He thought it is a joke but the looks on his face shows otherwise.

"I'm sure he gives it to you sincerely, Changdol. He's your good friend, I'm sure you would know him better."

_'For me, the only one I care to know about better is you.'_

Yunho shifts closer and rubs his arm, convincing him that he's thinking too much about it.

***

"Hyung, let's watch a movie together tonight."

Changmin enters Yunho's room and takes a sit on his bed. Yunho moves slightly to make some space for him, eyes still glued on his iPad screen.

"Sounds great. Do you want to watch anything in particular?"

Changmin looks at him from the side though it goes unnoticed by Yunho who is immersed in the games. He lets his gaze stay on Yunho a little bit longer before dropping it back on the mattress.

"Anything would be fine. It's been quite some times since we watch something together. I only thought about it just now since we're free today."

When Yunho doesn't say anything after a while, he turns to look at his side and notices he's staring blankly at the screen. Noticing the stare this time, he shows the screen to him and it shows a large 'GAME OVER' on it which causes him to laugh before taking the device from Yunho.

"It's not like it happened on purpose, we've been quite busy lately."

He gets into sitting position to peek at the screen watching Changmin taps the screen with his agile fingers. Both of them are focusing on the game instead of discussing further about the topic on hand.

Changmin tries to do his best with Yunho cheering on him by his sides and soon he even manages to break the highest scores record. It causes Yunho to grumble and praises him at the same time much to his amusement.

' _This is good enough.'_

That night, both of them are armed with their pillows, blankets and snacks after choosing a movie based on true story. They don't talk much, only occasional comments during some scenes.

Neither of them finish the movie as they fell asleep on the couch instead.

At around 2 a.m, Changmin is awoken as he feels something tickles his neck. Forcing his eyes to open, he notices Yunho has settled his head on his shoulder, his hair is poking in every direction with the amount of his tossing around in sleep. Careful not the wake the other person, he stills but adjusts his sitting position slightly to make it more comfortable for the sleeping figure besides him.

Listening to lulling breathing sounds in the darkness of their living room, he feels his heart clenches with wants of something more. He turns to look at Yunho's hand, laying invitingly near him. He wishes to hold it in his but he pushes the thought away, forcing himself to fall back asleep.

***

"Changmin. Changmin. Changmin."

He hears Yunho from outside of his bedroom door so he rises from bed to open it for him. He is greeted by small cushion on the floor but there's no Yunho in sight. That's when he realised the condition of the surrounding.

When Yunho finally comes out from the kitchen, completes with his long coat and shoes. Changmin glares at him demanding explanation for his action when he has repeated countless times not to walk with shoes on in the their house.

"Have you seen my phone? I can't find it anywhere?"

"We barely see each other today, how would I know that? Take off your shoes now, hyung."

Yunho continues to rummage through their living room, totally passing by Changmin in the process.

"I'm already late, Changmin-ah. I'm meeting Donghae tonight but he's supposed to text me the location so I can't go out if I don't find the phone. Can you help me, please?"

Changmin intends to ignore him but after a few seconds being implored by the kittenish eyes, he quietly joins him and start searching while trying to clean up the mess created by Yunho.

"Thanks, Changdol! I'll make up to you next time."

He spends 10 minutes looking around carefully. When he looks around their dining table, he found the phone hidden under the tissue box on the chair. He doesn't know how the phone gets there but when he's about to inform Yunho, a text pop up on the screen.

**Donghae : Hyung, where are you? It's getting awkward here, your date will end up sitting here alone if you don't come soon.**

Gripping the phone in his right hand, various things racing in his head. He's having an internal battle of morality and conscience before he decides to slip it into his pocket.

When Yunho comes into the kitchen area again, Changmin is going through the top cabinets diligently.

"You can stop now Changmin, I don't think it's there."

When he sees Yunho, he considers to come clean but his mouth betrays him rather too quickly.

"You're going to help me with these dusts this weekends, hyung. It's really something else here."

Yunho only smiles slightly at him with a defeated expression. Closing the cabinet, he shakes of the dusts from his hand and walks towards Yunho.

"Let's give it a try one more time, hyung. You'll search in your room and I'll look around the general area. If we still can't find it, let's just order some takeout and have dinner together."

Yunho eagerly agrees with his idea and disappears into his room. When he's left alone, Changmin lets out a shaky breathe and strengthen his resolve.

During dinner, they share a lot of laughs together over catching up with the events they didn't get to tell the other before. Yunho even relents to Changmin's request to have some drinks together.

After helping the drunk Yunho getting to bed, he secretly place the phone into a jacket hang behind the door. He makes sure it's noticeable by making it peek out slightly before closing the door.

When he lays down in his own room, despite the guilt he's content that he can take another few hours of Yunho's time. Even when they're living together, he is still greedy to have more than what's given to him.

***

They're creatures with different nature.

Yunho loves to spend his times outside. Changmin rather spends all those times within the safety of their home.

Yunho will make a mess of everything he touches. Changmin makes sure everything around him is neatly organized.

Yunho has more friends than one can count. Changmin only keeps few trusted people close to him.

Yunho is rather oblivious of the things or people around which resulting in him often bumping or stepping on practically anything. Changmin is very attentive of his surroundings and always avoid any actions that can attract unwanted attentions from others.

Yunho can be quite vocal with his feelings at times and it can be easily seen from his actions. Changmin is more reserved and prefers to keep most thing to himself, but his heart can be seen from his littlest gestures.

They are different in a lot of things but along the way in their school years they happened to cross path and they have stayed within each other's radius ever since. They're different but they're also the same. They live their lives holding on and believing in the same values which makes them always look into the same direction.

Their encounter was by chance when Yunho came to Seoul to give support to his sister who was one of the representatives for the Math Olympiad. There he met Changmin who came to support his longtime best friend, Kyuhyun.

Through series of coincidences they started to become roomate ever since their college days. They were as close as ones could be while still keeping their own circles, even with the age differences between them. They stayed with each other even when there were hardships and difficult times in between.

Now, they are still close but it's slightly different than before though both of them still make an effort to be there when they know the other needs it the most. Their friends assume that they just grew out of their younger days' attachment.

***

"Hyung, you're back."

Changmin is preparing the ingredients in the kitchen when Yunho comes home. He's still scrolling through the phone to look at the recipe online.

"Hey, you're preparing for dinner?"

When he opens the fridge, it's stocked up with a lot of Tupperwares. He doesn't get to ask when Changmin readily answers him, as if he can read his mind.

"Your mom send the food earlier. Luckily I got home earlier than usual today."

Inspecting the contents, he smiles inwardly before turning to Changmin.

"Are you sure it's from my mom? Most of them are your favourites though."

Changmin knows as he's seen it earlier. He thanked the elderly woman with a hug when he noticed the thought she put into it. She never directly said it but he has a feeling that she knows more than she appeared to be. Even when it was just the two of them, she always treated him warmly with understanding in her eyes.

"What can I say, even your mom can't resist my charm."

"Whatever. We both know I'm your mom's favourite."

His parents has known about his infatuation for quite some times. When they first found out, his father tried to console and talk him out of it, but later they just decided to accept it.

They are still as fond as before or maybe even more after that. There are times his mom is extra doting towards Yunho, as if she's ready to welcome him into the family. Rather than comfort, he feels quite bitter because he knows that it won't help to change a thing.

"Sure, sure. Now tell me what you want to eat. I'll see if I can make it with things I got here."

"It's okay, Changmin-ah. I'll eat out with the guys today, just make anything you want to eat."

Changmin can almost feels the pain in his chest physically. His thumb stops scrolling whatever he's been looking at, using his other hand to hold on the counter for support.

They always cook together for dinner on this date, even if it's weekdays to celebrate the day they start living together. They have never planned it outrightly but it's an unspoken thing between them, something that they have done for years.

Maybe it's written on his face, maybe Yunho noticed the date when he taps his phone but he hears his name being called gently. He stills, knowing well he'll make it worse if he is to face the only other person in their kitchen.

"Changminnie, I'm really sorry. I'll tell them now that I can't join them."

He feels like it has turned into an obligation that burdens Yunho rather than something that they do for fun. He clears his throat to make sure his voice doesn't betray him.

"You don't have to do that, hyung. Just go out with your friends tonight, we can do this another time."

Changmin hates that he sounds so pitiful, but he hates it even more that it sounds like he's guilt tripping his friend to stay. He hopes Yunho would just leave and go out as planned with his friends.

"No, I'll call them now then give me a minute to get change and I'll help you with cooking."

Yunho is now standing besides him, searching his face that is lowered avoiding the other's gaze.

"Changminnie -"

"I mean it, hyung. I'm really fine with it, I'm too tired to cook tonight anyway."

He steadily looks at Yunho to convince him to leave. He regrets it as soon as he sees emotions swirling in the dark eyes.

"Then I'll cook for us. You can sit here or watch something on TV while waiting."

He doesn't know how much does it shows on his face but he tries to suppress the hurt as much as he can. Yunho takes the matter into his own hand and guides him to the couch, promising to come out as soon as he's done changing.

"Hyung."

Yunho anxiously turns back when he hears Changmin, afraid that the younger man will still insist for him to go out.

"Do you think I'll leave you unsupervised with the cooking? Get change now, we'll start together after this. Let me look at the recipe one more time."

His smile feels plastic but he hopes it turns out better than he imagined. Yunho quickly change his clothes and simultaneously sending a text to Donghae.

Having Yunho in the kitchen brings more calamity than good for Changmin, as he has to keep an eye on him to make sure he won't make unnecessary mess. As much as it stresses him out, he always welcome Yunho's presence there with him. Changmin likes having him around although he doesn't contribute much when it comes to cooking.

At first, he wasn't sure the reason of having such weird fixation but deep inside he wasn't ready to admit it back then. When he was younger he often saw his dad helped his mom in the kitchen and Yunho gives him the exact warmth he remembers from those memories.

During dinner, neither of them acknowledge the elephant in the room. They talk and laugh as if nothing happened earlier. Changmin accompanies Yunho when he does the dishes, chatting away the entire time without letting any awkward silence to take place.

_'Don't go, yet. I still want to listen to your voice.'_

When they part into their own room, both of them carries different feelings none dare to tell the other.

***

It takes a few weeks before the discomfort between them dissipate. There are still lingering awkwardness from time to time but it is better than before.

_'I want things to get back to how it was.'_

_'I miss the old 'us'.'_

They spend even less time together. Finding excuses in endless work loads and spending times with other friends, they pretend that eveything is fine and nothing has changed.

Yunho goes out every night with his friends and only comes home well past midnight. Though he spends his time outside a lot, he always return without fail and he never bother with having things such as flings. His friends tried to set him up a lot of times but none of it works out.

He's ready to go out for the night on that Friday's evening when he senses something's odd. He realises that other than him going in and out of the house, it feels like everything else has fallen into a static condition in their place.

He eyes the cushions on the sofa trying to remember whether it is any different from when he last saw it. He knows Changmin can be quite a neat freak but it's impossible even for him to maintain everything perfectly at its place at the same angle.

He feels the chill when he notices that television remote control is below the coffee table, right where he tossed it yesterday's evening before he went out. Usually Changmin would place it on the table and nags him when they couldn't find the misplaced remote.

Changmin never fails to inform him whenever he goes back to his parents' home but judging from the situation, it seems like he's the only one at home currently. Yunho tries to remember when does he last see Changmin around and becomes nervous when he realised it was three nights ago, when he came back around early morning.

He looks at the tightly shut door and wonders whether Changmin is in his room or at his parents' place. Neither option is comforting as if Changmin really went back without a word to him, things have turned really ugly for them but if Changmin is home, he's even more worried why he doesn't at least hear him moving around.

Yunho stands outside of the room trying hard to listen for any sign of another person in there but it is a total silence. He braves himself to face disappointment by knocking on the door.

"Changmin, are you in there?"

As he expected, there's no sound coming from the room. He tries knocking a few more times, making it louder in case Changmin is already sleeping, which is quite unlikely since it's still too early.

"Changminnie?"

He's about to give up when he hears quiet groan from inside, barely audible but it's there. His heartbeats shoot up when he turns the doorknob and it's unlocked.

When Yunho steps inside the room, the first thing he notices is Changmin who's laying weakly on the bed under the cover. His eyes are half-opened and staring straight at Yunho.

"Changmin, are you okay?"

He quickly approaches the bed and put his hand on Changmin's forehead. He's surprised with the difference in temperature when their skin comes in contact.

"It's just fever, don't worry."

He almost cried when he hears how weak Changmin sounds. His voice is raspy and it looks like it takes great effort for him to speak such simple sentence.

"Why didn't you tell me? Since when have you been sick, Changmin-ah?"

Changmin is about to speak when he's attacked by coughing fits. Yunho hurriedly goes to the kitchen to pour a glass of water and gives it to him. He noticeably winces after taking a few sips making Yunho readily rubs the back of his neck.

"I guess it starts around yesterday. It's nothing major so I don't want to make worry you, hyung."

During the times they live together, Changmin rarely falls ill but when he does, he always basks in his attention. The fact that he only knows about it today means that the Changmin he knew has changed.

"You should've told me, Changminnie. Did you eat anything since yesterday?"

He got the answer when not only his question is ignored, Changmin also turns his head to avoid his gaze. Gathering Changmin into his arm, he can feel him being surprised at his choice of action but they stay in the same position a while longer.

"I'll make something real quick for you. Just stay here, I'll bring it to you once it's done."

Yunho whispers gently to Changmin, making sure he gives slight squeeze on both of his shoulders before letting go. He punctuate his words by pressing his lips on Changmin's temple and then immediately leaves the room . He wishes to take back his action just now but knowing it's impossible, he can only hope Changmin wouldn't mind about it.

He doesn't bother to change his clothes, striding straight to the kitchen to see what he can make for the sick man. He's relief though there isn't much thing there, it's still enough to make some chicken porridge and soup which he considers will make do for now.

Due to his limited skaills, he takes longer time to prepare the meals. By the time he brings it into the room, he saw Changmin is asleep but his brows furrow when he notices instead of looking peaceful, it looks like he has a restless and fitful sleep.

Yunho places the bowl and mug on the bedside table, and shakes the sleeping man lightly to wake him up. Changmin looks at him confusedly when his eyes flutter open, which he returns with reassuring smile while helping him to lean against the headboard.

"Did I make you wait long? Here, let me feed you."

Changmin seems reluctant with his attempt, moving to distance himself.

"Hyung, I just have some fever, not disabled. I can feed myself just fine."

"And risked you spilled this and scalded yourself? I'd rather not."

They spend the next five minutes arguing over the eating arrangements until Changmin finally lets Yunho has his way with things as he's already too tired to fight with him. He makes sure he blow each spoonfuls properly to cool it down before feeding them to Changmin and regularly wipes the other's mouth with towel he has prepared beforehand.

If Changmin doesn't feel half as bad as he currently is, he would totally be milking every drops of attentions that is showered on him. Unfortunately, he's not lucid enough to scheme anything wise or favourable at current moment.

He manages to finish it with a lot of coaxing from Yunho whenever he refuse to take another bites. He might have enjoyed that little sense of pride when he is being praised without having to exert actual effort.

He sips on the ginger tea while Yunho leaves the room once again to 'clean the kitchen'. He'd rather not know the state of then kitchen right now and entrust the task to someone else for the time being.

When Yunho finally appear in his room again, Changmin feels a little better than hours ago but he can feel his control is breaking. Probably it's because he's feeling vulnerable due to the fever, or how the their relationships is crumbling these past weeks, or the way Yunho is looking at him at that time.

All he knows is that when his eyes met Yunho's all the memories from their teen years attack him in a rush. He can only stare at him until Yunho worryingly take a seat besides him asking whether he still feels sick.

"Hyung, thank you for staying."

Yunho smiles comfortingly at him, helping to fix his cover.

"Do you really expect me to leave you here alone? It's bad enough I don't know about this earlier, Changdolla."

Changmin shakes his head at that. He's grateful for everything the older man has done for him today, but he's not only thanking him for that.

"It's also thank you for all those years for staying with me, though we probably have the most clashing personalities."

Yunho laughs this time, knowing exactly it's never easy between them but somehow they make it works. They don't have the same personalities or major interests so whatever they have now are not somethings that happen naturally but a result of their join effort.

"Then, thanks to you too. I don't particularly make it easy for us all these years."

"And thank you for not treating me any different in the past two years, hyung."

This time he manages to destroy the tranquillity they tried to retain during those years. Yunho doesn't push him away but it doesn't seems like he wants to reminisce the memory either.

"You never try to make it awkward or hard for me at all though I rejected you harshly. You never hold it against me, not even once."

Changmin can hear the other's breathing stutter when he's done. They've skated over the matter long enough since it happened.

After the rejection, he didn't know how to deal with the aftermath because they had lived together for years and they had known each other even longer. He had seen the confession as an unexpected blow that destroyed the things they had for years, though he later learned it was him that had caused more damage to it.

Yunho had tried to restore the balance between them after the rejection. He didn't show that he was hurt with his action for weeks after that, when Changmin had actively keeping his distance from him. It was after much reasoning with himself that he had come to act as how they used to be.

"You don't have to think about that anymore, Changmin-ah. It's in the past now."

He can see that the mentions of it is hurting both of them. When Yunho consoles him, he feels like there are tears threatening to falls from his eyes but he blinks it back, knowing that he doesn't deserve to do that.

"I just remembered that I haven't even apologised for what happened back then."

"If there's someone who needs to apologise between us, it's me. I shouldn't have put you on the spot, not then and especially not now. You still need to rest, Changmin."

Changmin immediately stops Yunho from helping him to lay back on the bed. During the few weeks they were estranged with each other he had thought a lot about the past and present time.

He doesn't want to be a coward anymore. He wants to be honest and save whatever remaining of their years long friendship.

"Hyung, I never knew it's possible to become lonely although when I'm being surrounded by friends and families. At first, I don't know what is the source. I did many things to fill in my spare times. Reading, building lego, exercising, cooking and learning other things, I still can't get rid of that loneliness."

Yunho doesn't know why Changmin is insistent on talking about the matter from the past. They had been doing just fine without mentioning about the incident that almost jeopardized their friendship.

"Changmin, you're only starting to get better. Don't get work up on such things."

Changmin only starts to become more frantic. He's afraid if he stopped now, they will never have this kind of chance anymore.

"No. I've wasted too much time. Do you know how hard it is to see those bees coming after and I can only watch it from afar?"

"Bees?"

Changmin laughs bitterly when he remembers the faces of people around them who's trying to win Yunho's affection, whether it's men or women. He can't even stand among them when he has lost the rights long ago.

"I want you to be happy, I really do. I feel like a real jerk when I can't be happy for you when others are willing to love you."

"Changminnie..."

Yunho tries to calm him down when he notices that the face he's ever too familiar to has gone red. He's not sure whether Changmin is trying to contain his anger or sadness but either way he doesn't want it to harm him when he hasn't fully recovered.

"Hyung, why must you choose them over me all the time? Why can't you stay at home with me? I know it's your way to avoid me. I won't to ask too much of your time. Just let me stay as a constant in your life."

He starts to sound really pathetic but at this point, he would grovel if he has to. He just needs they to stay as them, if it's the least he can get.

"I get it, I'll spend more time with you from now on, Changmin-ah."

Yunho hugs Changmin to assure him he's not going anywhere. Once he feels the warmth confining him, Changmin sags into Yunho's embrace. He can't remember the last time Yunho openly shows his affection to him in such way when he used to so all the time before.

"If I can turn back time, I'll never reject you that day. We must be so happy right now if accept your feeling at that time."

"How can you be happy if you accept me as a lover when it's not what you want? I'm happy we're still together here today."

Changmin starts to sobs uncontrollably on Yunho's shoulder, wondering how can he be so unaffected. He assumes whatever feeling Yunho had for him must have long gone.

"I never know how to tell you I've changed my mind. I tried to make it obvious but then again, how can you tell when I don't have courage to make its clear enough. It's too late to say ' _I love you_ ' now that you don't want me anymore. I was so stupid that I only realised my own feeling after that. If only I asked for time to think about your confession..."

He can feel Yunho stiffened when he confesses his long overdue confession but there's no use to worry about it as he has missed the right timing. When he feels Yunho tries to push him slightly he hardens his body, not wanting to show how low he has fallen. At least he wants to preserve the little dignity he still has.

"Changmin, I would never not want you. No matter how many time has passed, in whichever lifetimes."

Changmin thinks it's too good to be true and it could have been his mind has become too hazy after two days of fever and making him hearing things. When he feels Yunho pressing his lips on his nape to convince him, he starts to cry for real.

"Did I say something wrong? Stop crying, Changminnie."

He lifts his arms and wraps it around Yunho. He would be more than devastated if he happened to wake up and found out it's just a dream.

"Do I... are you willing to love me again, hyung? What about the other people?"

Yunho tightens his hug, bursting with happiness after knowing Changmin's change of heart. He finally realised, all this time he's been staying at the same spot when he thought he has moved on.

"The only one I love and need will always be you, Changdolla. No matter how many friends I have, how often I go out with them, at the end of the day you're the home I return to."

Changmin is ready to jump into the chance Yunho is willing to offer him. For the first in the two years he feels the lasting regret in his heart melting away and being replaced by the tenderness for the newly acquired chance of love.

They sleep in each other's embrace that night, ready to face their renew tomorrow. When Changmin opens his eyes the next day, he hides his smile with the blanket hiding himself from the happiness radiated by Yunho's stare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to write a short story but ... oh well, it becomes something that's inspired by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd clue messily combined as one. The monologues are open for interpretation, it can be from Changmin,Yunho or both of them.
> 
>  
> 
> a very long p/s
> 
> Now that tour has ended I thought we won't see them for a while but from my Twitter timeline, it seems like Yunho is having fun with his friends at Thailand. Guess it's just Changmin we won't be seeing for a while. Fgs SM or avex, just create a 72 Hour esque show but with both them doing things together. Cross your fingers and pray that the activities they promised us will involve them in the same space and can be seen on screen together :/


	9. arc #9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The new semester hasn't been as nice to me so it's been quite some times since I've hang around here and Twitter, the last time I was here was to read Yunho's birthday fic and seems like I've been missing a lot of updates :[ but~~~ I found a book that explains in details about a lot of ancient beliefs which coincidentally includes my favourite tale which is more commonly known as 'akai ito'

* * *

"Yunho!"

"Brat, that's hyung for you!"

"Yunho said it's fine. Right, Yunho?"

Two pair of eyes are now looking at him both demanding different kind of affirmation from him. In the end, he can only satisfy one person which leads him to receive judging stare from his friend.

"That kid is 2 whole years younger than you and you let him call you by your name? We've known each other since forever and I still have to call you hyung just because I'm a few months younger. What kind of blatant favouritism is this?"

Donghae points his finger accusingly at Changmin, while using his other arm to clutch around Yunho's, as if to prevent him from being stolen by the outsider. Yunho glances at the large brown eyes, that looks like it's trying to throw dagger from his stare alone to his best friend.

It's the most unthreatening glare he's ever seen because along with the curls framing his face, distinct ears and pursed lips, the kid reminds him of the famous deer, Bambi. He ruffles the thick hair before 'saving' his best friend from their little friend's wrath.

"Donghae, don't call him 'brat' or 'that kid', it's rude. Changmin is a very nice name, and it's not like it's hard to pronounce either. I've told you his aunt lives next door to my grandma, we need to be nice to him."

Behind Yunho's back, Changmin gives a triumphant smile towards Donghae which makes him gives the kid another dirty stare. Yunho flicks his forehead lightly to reprimand when he notices his action.

"Fine. But why does he keeps calling you Yunho? You're not one to tolerate this kind of thing, hyung."

Yunho sighs at Donghae's spiteful tone, not that he can blame him entirely either. He would be confused too if it happens to him.

"Stop being bitter to a kid. Come on, let's play together, I've promised to our parents to take care of him."

When Yunho pats his hair, Changmin smiles shyly and moves to hide himself behind him. Once Yunho faces the front once again, Changmin takes the chance to stick out his tongue to Donghae.

"A wolf in sheep clothing."

Donghae knows better and only mutter quietly this time.

***

As the years go on, they slowly reach their teenage years but at least once in a year, the Shims would come from Seoul and Changmin would never forget to drop by to meet him.

"Yunho, are you sure it's in here?"

"It must be here."

Changmin flops on the floor, but he regrets it when the dust starts to scatter around him. They've been searching for an old video tape, which Yunho claimed, is the best animation he's ever watched.

He accidentally stumbles across a box at the corner of the room in his haste to escape the fine particles attack. There's only old books inside it and he almost shoves it away when a particular book catches his attention.

"Yunho."

Yunho dusts off his clothes before approaching Changmin, delivering his question wordlessly.

"What is this book about?"

He shows an average sized book with red cover, the title is no longer readable. It for sure has seen better days, most probably decades ago.

"Oh, it's an old literature my grandpa used to read for me."

Changmin curiously skim through the content but the lack of recognizable hangul used for the writing frustrates him.

"What is it about? I can't even understand what it says."

Yunho takes the book from him, flipping through it though he isn't in any better condition than Changmin. He tries to recall the gist of the story from his memory.

"It's about a lover who's attached by red thread. They coincidentally crossed path as kids before even knowing they would end up together. If I'm not mistaken, the boy didn't believe about their fate when an old god told him about him which caused him to make an irreversible mistake."

His brows furrow as he listens to how the story progressed. He's not one to indulge in romance story, but even then it's not like he's heartless either.

"Isn't the old god too cruel then? If he didn't interfere at least the boy wouldn't retaliate in such way."

Yunho only shrugs at that as even back then he also asked the same question. He repeats the answer he received back then to Changmin.

"Life could be kind but human would still find a way to make it complicated. Guess we're all just a bunch of fools."

He adds his own afterthought at the end. He wonders why can't people just accept what's given to them easily instead of going through all the trouble to fight for the wrong things.

"Speak for yourself. I'd gratefully accept it if someone hands me the cheat code for life and tells me what should I do."

Yunho snorts at his confidence. Everyone would say the same things but human is nothing but a complex creature.

"Good for you, Changminnie. Please share it to me if you ever found it."

"Why? Are you curious to see who you are tied to?"

Changmin smirks at him. He wouldn't put it past Yunho when it comes to such thing, knowing how much of a romantic he is at heart.

"Aren't you?"

"Anyone would be fine, no one also would not be a big deal."

Yunho can't understand his train of thoughts but it has always been that way between them.

"Don't say something like that, you might be punished for it."

***

Like most kid at his age, Yunho enlisted right after high school and after that he decided to go to Japan to pursue his study. Being younger than him, Changmin only enlisted once he has been discharged and they can't even meet due to time restrictions in their life.

Changmin is packing his stuffs for his planned vacation with his friends when he received a call from his mom.

"Changmin, do you still remember Yunho?"

It's been almost ten years since he last seen the man but he remembers him as one of his favourite companion.

"Of course. Why do you ask?"

He kicks his luggage, as it refused to accomodate more things which he considers as essential to be brought along.

"I just got his number from his mother earlier. Maybe you can meet him while you're there."

"He still lives there?"

"Apparently he decides to work there after completing his study. His mom is happy to let him know that you might drop by when you're there later."

It's not that he's unhappy with the gesture but he has made a very detailed plan on his week long vacation. He's nothing but stubborn to stick to his plan though he's not planning to admit it to his mother.

"Sure, I'll meet him if there's oppurtunity arises."

He's quite sure even if he's fond of their childhood memories, he's not gonna abandon the plan he has painstakingly made just for the sake of old time.

***

Life is never short of surprises which he's fully aware by now but it still never fail to amaze him. During their first dinner in Tokyo, he encounters a familiar face as soon as they enter the restaurant.

It's one of the most famous ramen place at the heart of the city and as they fully expected, the place is crowded as it can be. Travelling with Kyuhyun and Minho teaches him that the crowd is a proof to the excellency servings provided there and they become more eager to get a taste.

Thanks to his height, he immediately noticed a table is being vacated by a group of customers and he walks to the seat immediately. Just as he's about to pull the chair, another hand reaches it a beat faster than he does.

His mind quickly makes up an awkward combination of polite Japanese words he could remember but his words are halted halfway when he recognises the owner of the hand.

"Changminnie!"

From the corner of his eyes, he can see Kyuhyun mouth the words to Minho, widening his eyes for the extra effect. As life would have it, what is the probability for him to meet a friend in a city where population exceeds over 10 million people?

"Yunho!"

As composed as he is, even he couldn't hide his shock from the unexpected meeting. Once he recovers, he immediately goes for a brief hug before introducing his friends.

They settle at the table together as Yunho has came to dine in alone. Though Yunho doesn't seems to mind having meal with his friends, he can't say he would feel the same if he has to be in his shoes.

"I can't believe you're all grown up now! You were still a kid when I last saw you, Changmin-ah."

Yunho looks at him with a beaming smile, expressing how happy he is to reunite with him. Changmin thought he would be unaffected even if they meet again but it feels like he is as happy as a person can be, though it does not translate well on his face.

"I clearly remember being 18 the last time we met and you're literally only two years older. One would think you're as old as my parent if they heard you."

He didn't expect Yunho to ruffle his hair in front of his friends but he doesn't stop him either. He knows he would regret it later how much of a menace his friends are, especially Kyuhyun.

"Where are you guys going after this?"

This time, Yunho focus his attention on his friends in front of them. He's not one that's awkward to people he just met and it was one of the reason they quickly grew close as kids.

"We'll just go back to our hotel after this since we are going to be here until Saturday's evening. Then we are heading to Hokkaido."

"Hyung, since you've lived here for quite long tell us about interesting places we can't miss out."

He looks expectantly at Yunho for his answer. When Minho had called Yunho as hyung, he feels weirdly robbed though he has never cared to do so before.

Yunho hums thoughtfully, trying to think about the best place they can squeeze into their plan.

"There's a festival at a local shrine but you would need to drive a little to get there. I can bring you guys there on Friday if you're interested."

"That would be awesome, hyung!"

Changmin doesn't get to stop them due to Minho's enthusiasm. He still has the conscience to feel a little guilty to take Yunho's offer shamelessly when he had planned to not meet him just 24 hours ago.

"Is that okay with you? I mean, you don't have to do that if you have other things to do."

"I'm quite free that day so it would be fine for me to take half day leave."

After that, both Minho and Kyuhyun excitedly inquire about the festival which he mostly become a listener instead of adding his own point. It's quite pathetic and he wouldn't admit it if someone asks him but he's pleased and content to see Yunho's smile and listen to his voice again.

Yunho pays the bill for their dinner, quoting his words, 'to commemorate their first day in town', and part ways with the group after dropping them off at their hotel. Before he shuts the door, Changmin gives Yunho his phone number and told him to contact him.

***

The next day, the begins their months long anticipated tour and when they're at Tokyo Tower area, he receives a text from Yunho.

**Yunho : Changminnie, got any plan tonight?**

**Changmin : Nothing specific. Why?**

**Yunho : If you're down for it, I can show you guys this one place with the best food here 😆**

He snorts at the emoji at the end of the text. Typical Yunho, it's not surprising he would be the type that loves to slip emoji in texts.

"Guys, are you okay to have Yunho joins us for dinner? He got some place in mind."

"Sure, it's convenient to have him around."

"Yup, I like that guy. Hyung, tell him I said hi."

They agree to meet in front of their hotel at 6p.m. And perhaps he forgot to tell Yunho about Minho's greeting.

***

"Are you sure they have edible food here?"

"The best in town."

Changmin looks up at the signboard which needs to be replaced with a new one long ago. Kyuhyun is only slightly less fazed than him but Minho is totally ready to skip into the shop. The youngest member of their group of three has always been the least judgemental among them, which usually cause them to involve in troubles most of the time.

The owner greets Yunho casually when they enter and immediately they are ushered to a table in a traditional style Japanese room. They're served with tea that is brewed also using traditional method, he assumed judging from the pot used, once they're all seated.

"I've ordered some dishes in advance so we wouldn't have to wait too long. Just tell me if there's anything else you want."

"Some dishes should be fine as the starter. What did you order?"

It's safe to say their definition of 'some' is a little bit different as Yunho has listed the amount of food that is appropriate for a feast itself.

"You must like the food here a lot. Is this your favourite dating spot or something?"

Even when they're still teenagers he knew that Yunho is quite famous not only because of the physical traits, his manners are also one of his many attractions.

"No, usually I bring my family here when they come to visit. And sometimes my colleagues. Since it fits their taste just fine, I hope it would suit all of you as well."

"As expected. Hyung, you have a really good sense for something like this."

Minho at this point is really charmed with Yunho as even when they were waiting for him earlier, the younger guy keeps praising Yunho as if they've known each other more than that one time meeting.

"What about you guys? Is this some sort of last bachelor trip or what?"

"Not even close. I'm not ready for that kind of commitment, Minho just got dumped and Changmin would be lucky if he can find anyone who can stand his annoying ass more than three months."

Kyuhyun is strategically sitting in front of him so he quickly kicks his legs which resulting in them kicking each other back and forth before being stopped by others.

Yunho teasingly told him that he thought that Changmin had changed a lot when they met last night but luckily he is proven wrong. Changmin obnoxiously blames Kyuhyun for that.

Later, when the food arrives he is kind of surprised when Yunho can guess which one matches his taste the best. It's a gesture that means nothing before but it's not something he used to expect from others.

"You don't have to do that hyung. I'm not a kid anymore, my arm is long enough to reach it."

"I don't mind, I like taking care of you anyway."

He's glad his mouth is full or he would laugh out loud at that nonchalant statement because in Yunho's mind he probably is still the annoying boy that would tag along with him whenever they met.

"I hope you don't think I'm still that short kid you used having to play with, Yunho."

When he glances at at his side, Yunho huffs at his disbelief.

"That's creepy especially when you are this tall. I don't do anything halfway, so even when you're old and wrinkly I'll still be willing to take care of you."

He punches Yunho's arm when Kyuhyun starts cackling at the mention of him being old and mock him. It's the first time someone openly say such words to him even as a joke which is his explanation for the heart fluttering feeling inside him.

Their reunion, even when it's by chance, is probably one of the best part of the trip. It makes him wonder has there always been a Yunho-piece left out of his life when they're apart because now that they're together it feels like the lost time has never happened.

Since Yunho still has to drive them back, only the three of them enjoyed the sake being served at the end of their meal and he has to admit that he shouldn't judged the book by its cover. The place for sure deserves more recognition as whether its food or drinks, they're among the best he ever had, and that says a lot.

***

Spending almost half of their day outside to experience the lively attractions at Harujuku, he makes a call when they're stopping for snacks, inviting Yunho to join them at Tokyo Skytree in the evening. He plans to treat him for a dinner as Yunho has been the only giving party since they arrived.

"Thanks for the thought but I can't finish early today. There's an important presentation tomorrow and after I'm done with that, I'll meet you guys as planned."

Changmin frowns almost immediately, not used to being rejected of anything by Yunho. He holds in his displeasure and play it off by showing an indifferent front, like he didn't spend the entire morning debating whether to call him directly or send a simple text. He knew he shouldn't have gone all the way bothering himself with that matter by making that call.

After engaging in short conversation, he's about to disconnect it before Yunho's gentle voice stop him.

"I'm thankful for the thoughts although I can't make it. See you tomorrow, Changminnie."

Maybe, he made the right choice afterall.

***

It's already past midnight when they returned to their room that night and he is comfortably tucked under the comfortable cover just as Minho switches off the lights. When he's about to fall asleep, he mindlessly send a text to Yunho informing him they are safe and sound after having fun the whole day.

He only comes to his senses once he notices the 'delivered' symbol and immediately close the application before it can change to 'read'. Not expecting a reply since it's already quite late, he eagerly tap the notification when Yunho's name pop-up on the screen.

**Yunho : I'm glad you had fun👍👍 I'm still at the office, will go back later. Goodnight, Changminnie.**

Changmin immediately tap the 'call' icon and ready to scold the person at the other end but he's caught off guard with the cheerful 'Hello, Changminnie!', sounding high-spirited as usual.

"Why are you still at work when my clock shows it is already 12:43 a.m?"

He can hear the conversations at the background before it fades and gone completely after the sound of what he assumed as click of the door closing.

"There's some changes need to be done to the proposal but it's almost complete. Aren't you supposed to be sleeping by now? It must've been a tiring day."

"Speak for yourself. At least I'm already on the bed. I won't be surprised if you haven't eaten yet, Yunho."

He recalls where instead of playing around outside while the elders were catching up with each others, he spent it by bringing all the games and books to Yunho's bed. His gastric pain was too severe due to him skipping meals and sleep to finish his homework.

He only says it as a form of sarcasm but the awkward laugh tells him everything he needs to know.

"Jung Yunho, are you telling me I should entrust our lives to someone who can't take care of himself? Will you even make it out alive to be at the festival tomorrow?"

He hears Kyuhyun starts to complain when his voice steadily becomes louder in incredulity. Rising from the bed, he starts to pace around the room and is ready march to Yunho's office and knock some sense into him.

"I'll definitely arrive safely at my apartment in one hour and get enough sleep to not endanger anyone, okay? You should sleep now instead of worrying, Changminnie."

"No, I'm concerned about my own safety tomorrow so you'll eat first before you go to bed. Send a proof picture to me , only then I'll go to sleep"

"I promise to eat after this so no need to wait up for me."

Changmin swears he can hear Yunho mutters something suspiciously sounds like 'when did I get married?' and squints his eyes at the digital clock at the end of the room.

"One hour, Yunho. I'll make you pay if you keep me awake a second longer than that."

Without waiting for another reply, he ends the call and set the timer on his phone. Turning on the bedside lamp, he takes out a book from his bag to keep himself awake.

"Your nagging could put my mom to shame. At least ask for the man's consent before putting him on leash, Shim."

"Shut up if you don't want to get dragged along, Cho."

It effectively shut him up.

He has lost count on how many times has he read the same paragraph and he hasn't moved on to the next page twenty minutes since he opened the book. Ten minutes later he gave up on the pretense and settle for sitting cross legged on the bed while staring intensely at the timer.

At last, with 58 seconds remaining he receives an image followed by a text few seconds later. It's a picture of a takeout container, with the seals still intact, placed on a table.

**Yunho : Home 😆🎶 sweet dreams, Changminnie!**

**Changmin : Good. Make sure you finish your food before you sleep.**

He slides into the cover once again after that, ready to let sleep consumes him.

***

"Are you ready, boys?"

There's an equally excited answering screams from the backseat. Changmin hopes he doesn't have to face this situation during the whole journey or he would willingly jump out of the car.

"Changminnie, where's the spirit? Are you ready?"

Turning his face with a tight smile, he cheers with the flattest tone imaginable, in which he receives a few pats on the head for it.

Yunho naturally assumed the duty as their unofficial tourist guide when they start to question everything they saw around them and traditions at the festival. When there's only endless sight of trees on the roadsides, they start devouring the snacks they've smartly prepared in advance.

The road is rather busy since it seems like a lot of vehicles are also heading to the festival, so their driver needs to keep alert and Yunho barely lets go of the steering wheel as he's not as familiar with the surrounding unlike when they're in the city area. Since he's in the passenger seat, Changmin ends up becoming his personal assistant by feeding him as the snacks are passed around in the car.

It's not even half as awkward as he thought it would be.

Arriving at the scene, their eyes lights up at the festivities around them. It's far better than his imagination. The food stalls, the lights, the crowd.

They decide it's better if they stick together and walk around as a group. Checking out almost every stalls, they buy every mouthwatering snacks as if they've been starving for days.

Other than food, there's also a lot of stalls that sells traditional masks, amulets, toys among other things. They've walked far enough until they reach the front of the shrine where a play is being held.

Young and old people are immersed by the spectacular acting while enjoying their snacks. After what seemed like the climax of the story, Changmin asks Yunho about its detail.

"It's the story of akai ito, the red thread of fate."

"Wait a minute, didn't we talk about this in the past?"

It takes a while for Yunho to nod his head, as he's engrossed at the scene unveiled in front of them.

"Yes, but I think this version is a little bit different."

"Really? Which part is different?"

"The red thread can never be broken no matter how tangled it becomes along the way to find the fated person. If you're lucky, it will be a love that's worth a lifetime of devotion and happiness."

Kyuhyun and Minho are more interested in the unfolding of the closing acts of the play instead of listening along, it's the first time they keep silent for so long since they're here.

"And if you're not?"

"It would result in an overwhelming pain living while knowing that one person you love is unreachable."

Though he doesn't speak the language, it's obvious the play in front of him ends tragically. The version he heard when he was younger had a happy ending though their bonds were tested before they finally accepted each other.

"Why does it ends like that?"

Yunho finally looks at him after the play concluded, it seems that he also feels conflicted with how it ends.

"They were punished by the god because they rejected the chance presented to them. The feeling had reached him a little too late, his destined person had married to another and he ended up loving from afar watching that person spent a lifetime in a loveless marriage."

At the end, the main characters were staring longingly at each other, with one of them being in another person's embrace.

It leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. There are a few couple around them who probably feels the same as they hold onto each other with complicated expressions.

Changmin jerks out of his thoughts when he notices Yunho is talking to someone. It's a petite old lady, her face is gentle when she places something in his palm. Yunho lowers himself a little for her to pats his shoulder a few times before disappearing into the crowd.

"Who is it?"

He can't hide his curiosity and look into the item in Yunho's hand. It's a red amulet, sewn neatly and decorated with simple embroidery.

"She saw me watching the play so she wanted to give me this, wishing for me to finally see the person at the end of my red thread."

His friends who have joined them again admire the amulet, both of them envying Yunho for receiving a nice gift. When the amulet is in his hand, he strokes it adoring the perfect handwork.

Changmin helps him to hang the amulet on his bag, making sure it's secure before they starts to walk further. The parade that celebrates the gods have lit up the area with bright different colours.

A lot of people starts to pushing each other, trying to squeeze themselves through the crowd to get better view of the parade. It's quite a battle that even with his height, he got pushed around quite badly.

Changmin reached out to hold on to any of his friends beside him when his hand is pushed away with a grunt. That's when he realised that he has grabbed a wrong person. He struggles to look for the other three when everyone around him is pushing trying to go to the front.

His blood run cold, remembering that he put his phone in his other bag, which he has conveniently left inside the car. It's just his luck that one of his major flaw is lacking in sense of direction. With the amount of people around him, he fears that he can't remember the how did he got here.

As he's about to bolt in random direction, there's firm grip on his hand. Never in his life would he have imagined to be so happy to see Yunho that he spontaneously hold back tightly on the hand that holds his.

"You found me."

His relief is too immense that he could only breathlessly say, it almost inaudible, drowned by the other noises. Changmin knows Yunho heard him because he tightens his hold more than he thought is possible after that.

"You didn't answer your phone. Fortunately, Kyuhyun noticed this."

He looks at the thread and noticed it is from the amulet. It looks different from earlier as it has loosened quite a bit which he finally noticed its thread is connected to his bag, at the zipper.

"It must got stuck when people started to swarm around us."

Changmin quickly detangles it and looks apologetically at the ruined charm. It has only been barely an hour and it's already in this state.

"Sorry, hyung. Your amulet -"

"It's okay. At least I found you."

Usually he would assume that it's only courteous words but when their eyes meet, he knows Yunho meant it.

"Hyung! You really need to be careful next time."

He isn't sure have Minho and Kyuhyun been there since the start but he notices them alright now. Minho looks at him with worry and Kyuhyun has an unimpressed looks on his face.

"For someone who claims to be bad with direction, you really knows how to get lost just fine Shim Changmin."

The unspoken 'how dare you made me worry?' makes Minho and Yunho amused before dragging both of them away from the crowd.

They end up watching the parade from a slightly higher ground, which consists of smaller crowd, but still provides clear view. They're not going to risk losing another person in the crowd after that incident.

For the rest of the night until return to the car, Yunho didn't let go of his hand and Changmin didn't remind him to do so either. During the drive back, both of them shared stories and giggles in low whispers accompanied by Kyuhyun's and Minho's soft snores.

***

The next day, they're supposed to have their last lunch at Tokyo together but Yunho had sent a quick text saying that he has an urgent matter coming up. It's not a big deal but it disappoints him though he hides it well from the others.

Kyuhyun strongly requests to buy sake from the restaurant Yunho introduced to them before, claiming that he would regret it if he can't taste it one more time. That's how they end up making a stop at the shop before leaving to the airport.

When they are sitted at the waiting area, he excused himself to go to the restroom when overheard a familiar voice. He purposely slows down his steps when the waitress enter the room and from the tiny space as the door is slightly left ajar, he tries to get a glimpse of the occupants.

What, or specifically, who he saw makes whatever hopes that sprouts inside him crashes to the ground. As soon as their packages are ready, he drags both of them to leave without any explanation.

Needless to say, he no longer in the mood to enjoy the rest of the stay. He barely remembers anything about Hokkaido.

***

Back in Seoul, Changmin resumes his life just like how it was before the trips. Only with a little bit more temper outbursts than before. And occasional mood swing. Plus few innocent books being thrown around. Other than that everything's the same.

Except that he keeps receiving texts messages and international calls from a phone number with Japanese code area number from a certain person he left behind in Tokyo. He isn't sure whether he left that person or is he the one that's being left behind.

Most of the times he would ignore it until the caller got tired of trying. During his moment of weakness, he would pick it up only end it as soon as he regreted it. He would throw various kinds of excuse, even the most irrelevant one which make the calls and texts decrease gradually.

On the third month, he hasn't received a single call from that number.

On the third month, he receives a news that crushes his broken heart.

"I was about to ask you to come home, who knows you would beat me to it."

Changmin is restless with the cease of contacts so he takes a leave from work and visits his parents. If he has to stay at his flat alone, he would do things he might regret, such as dialling a certain number and demands an explanation as if he has a right to do it.

"Your mother has received a wedding invitation from Gwangju, the Jung's child is getting married."

 

"I just called to congratulate them. Apparently Yunho is already in Korea since last Tuesday, his mother is extremely happy he's back for good this time."

He probably has the ugliest smile on his face but it's the best he can do. The other option involves breaking down so an ugly smile is the best choice for now. There's a literal buzzing by his ears when he asks about the wedding date.

"It's the day after tomorrow. We're leaving tomorrow and you'll come with us. No excuse, young man."

"Of course."

***

"An angel, she's the prettiest being I've ever seen!"

The radiant air of happiness inside the room is almost palpable, especially with the amount of smiles welcoming the latest addition of the family.

"Don't be greedy, let me see her too."

Leaning closer, he peaks at the little bundle of joy in Yunho's arms. A wide smile tugs at his lips looking at the wide eyes staring at him. Just like the rest of Jung family, the little girl has the same dark eyes and small pouty lips.

"Do you want to hold her?"

He's getting better at interacting with kids but he's not confident enough to accept the offer since she's still too small and he isn't that good, yet. Changmin shakes his head slowly and focusing back on the chubby cheeks, trying to poke it using his finger. The small smile he receives makes him itch to hold her.

"Oppa, she must be waiting for you to carry her already. No need think about it too much, just do it casually."

Glancing at the baby's mother and looking back at Yunho, he slowly takes the little girl into his embrace. This time, Yunho wraps an arm around him and teases the little fingers.

"That little Jihye who always wore her hair in pigtail before has become a mother. I've really became old."

Changmin grins at his mother who sits alongside Yunho's beside his sister. Their dads were also in the room until a moment ago when they stepped outside together.

Both of them couldn't make it back to Gwangju due to their work commitments when she gave birth but after a month, finally they got the times to visit her. Surprisingly it's already Changmin's parents second times visiting baby Eunchae.

"Jihye, she would grow up as a heartbreaker. Look at how pretty she is."

Yunho pinches his hand before cooing at Eunchae.

"I won't let anyone who dares to mess with her gets off easily."

He merely rolls his eyes, used to Yunho's overprotectiveness. That man is always ready to shield his beloved people from any possible harms even if it's unintentional.

They're shocked by the sudden flash and when they snaps their head searching for the source, Yunho's mother innocently claims she wants to take pictures for Eunchae's baby album.

They play with her some more before passing her back to Jihye. Excusing themselves from the ladies, they walk to their room while gushing about their new niece.

From the window, Yunho can see two older man is chatting happily while walking their family's dog. Unconsciously, his lips curls into a content a smile at the sight, momentarily forgetting the man beside him.

"What are you looking at?"

He pads to the bed and joins his partner who is sitting at the corner, sneakily takes the chance to hug him from behind when he's occupied replying texts on his phone. Resting his head on Changmin's shoulder, Yunho leaves a trail of kisses on his nape until the man squirms and places one last kiss on his temple.

"It's not easy for us to get here, right?"

It's not all rainbow and sunshine from the start. The disappointed voices, blank stares, cold shoulders - it's now only memories of the past, a chapter they can look back with bittersweet smile.

"It's worth it. I'd do it all over again if it's for you."

Yunho hums softly before loosening his hold, turning Changmin around to face him with a teasing glint in his eyes.

"Of course you would, you were even prepared to attend my 'wedding'."

He jumps out of reach when he senses Changmin is going to attack him, instantly filling the space with his laughs.

That year, he had misunderstood until they reached the wedding hall, where he noticed the bride and groom didn't match the image he had in mind. His parents actually did mention several times whose wedding it was when they're on their way but he was too busy nursing his feeling to pick up on the information.

Meeting Yunho at the ceremony was inevitable, though he tried very hard too avoid his stares when they were among their families. In the end, he gave in to his insistence and their confrontation lead from one revelation to another.

Changmin discovered that he had been torturing himself in vain as the woman he saw with Yunho was supposed to take over his position as he was in discussion to transfer to their company Korean's branch. Yunho had kept it as a secret and planned to tell it to him later, he never got the chance because all his calls were either ignored or gone to voicemail.

Even until now, it's still one of the topics Yunho likes to use against him.

'It's adorable when you blush.'

It's funny how one night is enough for a person to fall in love. In their lives, they stumbled across a lot of different people to find that one person only to look back and realised that all they had to do was stay.

Their threads most likely had been tangled and knotted badly before they finally found each other but the gods probably took pity on their foolishness and gave them another chance to fix it.

'I'm glad, you finally found me.'

'What if we are making mistake?'

'This little thing we have, how do you know it's love?'

'Thank you for not giving up.'

'I don't want to lose you.'

'Stay. You and me, we will protect it together.'

'I'll take care of you, always.'

'Be mine, and I'll be yours.'

 

'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for another extremely cliche plot :[ but I really like the story of red thread for so long and finally I got enough time to write it. I have another plot in mind but oh well,, maybe it's for another time. I haven't read this yet but I'll fix it if there's any mistake later 😊
> 
> ps : for one of my course this semester I got the same class with the senior I talked about before. Lets just say,heteronormativity is really a double-edged sword. It's that person last semester here so, hope I'll have enough wits to say something


	10. arc #10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay , sorry - I'm a fraud. This isn't really arc #10 since it's a continuation from arc #7 but I guess you can read it independently (maybe XP)

"Why can't we have a station full of someone who looks like that?"

"It's more thrilling that there's one him. The top prize can only be special because everyone is chasing after the best, don't you agree?"

Several heads nod in unison. 

"I swear the other day when I pass the file to him, I thought I would die from heart attack. He even smiled to me before he left."

There are squeals of jealous complaints follows.

"I think I'm in love for real. Do you think he's available?"

"He's available as long as he's still not married. A lover practically stands at the same ground as the rest of us."

"You're right. I mean, for someone like him getting a lover isn't even a hard task when there's a long line of people dying for that chance."

"I know, right? He can replace them without breaking a sweat."

There are more murmurs about how they are willing to risk anything to be the final winner to get the man.

"Maybe if all of you have the same energy when doing your work your chance would increase by 1%."

A deep voice cuts the seemingly endless vulgar talks.

"Plus as if the real competition is among you all here. He must have a lot other suitors with the the same status as him."

"Just consider it's good enough if Lieutenant Jung could remember the interactions he had with any of you."

***

Changmin walks back to his post with sullen face after eavesdropping the talks inside the staff room. Though he doesn't feel good listening to them thirsting after his boyfriend, it feels even worse when they talk about the lover part.

At their department, Yunho is currently discussing something with their team leader. He returns to his own desk and hands the file he has picked up for Woohyuk. 

When he passes it to the man, he notices that he is smiling meaningfully, and keep hinting for him to look at Yunho. He follows his line of sight, furrowing his brows after failing to understand what he's supposed to look for.

Woohyuk sighs at his junior's ignorance. He tries to mouth the word secretly this time, hoping the boy would get a clue.

'Neck. Neck!'

Changmin's slowly turns red when he finally catches on. It is not too pronounced but it is unmistakable what does the faint mark means. It's peeking out slightly just slightly above collar of his shirt.

He quickly diverts his attention on the report in front of him but his face still feels too warm. Usually he makes sure to not leave any marks at visible place but it seems like he's careless this time.

When Yunho walks pass them, he keep his head low to avoid any eye contact.

"Is there any trouble here?"

Changmin can sense the suspicion from his voice.

"Everything's fine, lieutenant."

He has a feeling that if he doesn't confirmed it Yunho will not be satisfied and become more curious. He has voiced his dissatisfaction over the way Changmin is treated by the team and the only reason he held back is because Changmin forbids him from doing anything.

"Yes, Sergeant Han told me something funny just now so I think I laughed a little too much."

Yunho probably knows he's lying but he doesn't push him. They have agreed to stay low at work to avoid unwanted attention.

Once Yunho has left, almost everyone does not bother to conceal their laughs and snickers.

"Someone been getting it on the weekend, huh?"

"I can't believe that I deluded myself thinking that the most fun thing he knows is reviewing our reports."

"Now I wonder if the rumors are true."

Though he tries to pretend being immersed with works, his ears perked up at the word rumors. Some parts of him wants to scramble away wondering if their secret is no longer a secret. The other part of him fears for another false gossip stirring up about Yunho.

Woohyuk drags his chair closer to him, leaning in like he's about to reveal a huge secret.

"You heard about the rookies worshipping him, right? The rumors say the lieutenant would take advantage for that and, you know..."

Changmin wishes he doesn't understand what is being implied but he is not stupid to not get the meaning of the looks and the way he wriggles his eyebrows suggestively. He can't hide his disgusts with their attitudes.

"Who dares to spread that false accusations? Is there not enough case in our hands that somebody has the free time to run their mouths pathetically like this?"

All the senior detectives at the desk are stunned to hear his furious response. Some of them has the decency to look shameful but most of them looks like the are ready to pounce on him if given the chance.

Usually he would back off at their intimidating stares but today he has enough of them spurting nonsense to feed on their inferiority complex. He doesn't cowered when Woohyuk is now staring at him furiously.

"Talking to your senior with that tone, do you have death wish, maknae?"

The threat behind the faux composure doesn't go unnoticed. Without wavering the slightest bit, Changmin smile scornfully while looking straight at him.

"I'm just expressing my thoughts about the one who started the rumor. Unless it was your doing, please don't take it to heart."

Their team leader quickly meddled to ease the tension in the room. Changmin got told off for stepping out of line with his behaviours but at least no one utter a word about the distasteful rumor again that day. Instead they decided to make him their target.

After that day the detectives have good relationships with Woohyuk openly alienated him and refused to work with him unless if it's really necessary. There isn't much their team leader could do as most of the detectives have been long enough in the field that it's bad move to offend them for a new kid with lesser experience.

***

"Are they giving you hard times again?"

They are lounging on bed with Yunho been reading book, beside him Changmin is on his laptop with several papers scattered on his side. They have spent the past hours in comfortable silence when suddenly Yunho surprised him with the question.

It's Friday night so after getting off work they went back together. He's no stranger to Yunho's bachelor pad ever since they officially become an item and they mostly spend their time there instead of Changmin's place because it provides more privacy.

"Not really, just the usual stuffs."

"Do you really think I don't know that most of the reports this week was written by you? You are even working on another one right now."

It's not like he is purposely showing off his workload but he still have two more reports need to be done by Monday. He doesn't have the luxury to delay his works if he wants to finish them on time. Ironically, when almost no one wants to be associated with him there's always new files waiting for him on his table which has caused him to having to work extra hard to complete everything on time.

"I guess we just happened to have more works to do in general lately."

Though they have been going out for almost a year, Changmin never let himself lament about work to Yunho. He is careful with his actions to avoid being labelled as taking advantage of his boyfriend's status. If that ever happened, all his hardwork would be invalidated by others.

Just as he's about to resume his work, his laptop is taken away from his lap. He tries to take it back but Yunho manages to hold him out of reach with one warm and shutdown the device after saving the file. He can only stare at Yunho's pleased look and frown further when he walks out of bed to place the laptop on the table.

"Stop glaring at me. Where else could you find a supervisor as considerate as me?"

"That's only because you're a sly fox."

He grumbles when Yunho comes back to bed, ready to pull up the cover. He's still leaning against the headboard, eyeing his laptop begrudgingly. The gears in his head rotate actively trying to devise a plan, doing calculation on how to slip out of the bed without being noticed.

Changmin totally didn't see it coming when Yunho pulls him down causing him to unceremoniously being trapped by a warm weight of arm and leg pinning him down on the bed.

"Hyung!"

"You, my sweet bunny, really need to sleep now. Your dark circles would even scare away the suspect away if you keep this up."

He is startled when Yunho brings a hand to his face and trace the dark circles under his eyes and put a little pressure on the eyebags that is becoming more obvious due to his lack of sleep. Though he commented on it in humorous way, there is a genuine concerns reflected in his eyes.

Before this, his view on Yunho is pretty much the same as everyone else ; a strict, aloof and apathetic individual, so he didn't expect much from him. It's only after they got together he realised how attentive, caring, gentle and loving of a person he is. 

Changmin might be the one who confessed his feeling first but after that Yunho becomes the one who tirelessly showers him with 'I love you's with all its other variations of affectionate words. He is happy to have earned the privilege generously given to him.

A part of him wish that Yunho would let loose and show a little bit of his true nature more. It hurts him when he realised that the cold and distant mask is a way to shield himself from being hurt. For his whole life he is heavily scrutinised by his peers and no matter how hard he tried his achievement would always be credited to his family status.

Changmin recalls the days he used to be among those people. He was as sceptical and unforgiving as the people he hated today and his words were punishing and full of judgment.

"Hyung."

His voice is tiny and meek. Once again he feels suffocated thinking about the past. 

"What's wrong?"

His guilt multiplied he hears the worry behind the question. Yunho pulls away to examine him, searching for any signs of discomfort.

"I'm sorry."

"What for, Changmin-ah?"

Changmin presses his face to the pillow, unable to face him.

"I had done you wrong before but now I shamelessly leech on you."

Yunho looks at him fondly though Changmin is still hiding his face from him. Slowly, he pulls his body closer and makes himself comfortable by snuggling on the firm chest.

"Don't worry, I'll extract the payment for that and make sure you compensate for it. You are sentenced to dealing with me for our whole life, Corporal Shim."

Changmin couldn't help but snorts at the bizarre approach Yunho used to lift up his mood. He runs his hand on physical warmth on his chest, deciding to play along.

"This is a power abuse. Isn't that a little severe to receive a life sentence, lieutenant?"

"It's totally reasonable, you have to make up on the damage you have done. Stealing a man's heart is a serious crime."

Changmin laughs heartily and wraps his arms tightly around the body clinging to him, as if he's holding sole reason of his life.

***

A few weeks later, there is chaos at the station. The personal informations of the cases they have ever handled was leaked and although they have blocked the access and retrieved everything, the damage had been done.

The news has reached the ministry and the higher ups at the headquarters are extremely furious over what happened. They have personally sent a team of elites investigator to find source of the leakage.

A new wind of rumors brew that Yunho will be pulled back to return to their headquarters. It is said that the Police Commissioner General doesn't want his son to be embroiled in such scandal that could be detrimental to his career.

From his seat, Changmin's temper starts to flare listening to them. It's the usual squad but today, their voices are louder than usual that even the other units are whispering among themselves after hearing their talks.

"Some people really live an easy life. We have to clean this shit ourselves but somebody got his daddy paves him flower path to get to the top."

"Flower path? It's the golden stairs at this rate. I'd be shock if he only got transferred without being promoted"

"It's a talent itself to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth. The rest of us can only wish we would have half of that luck in our next life."

"I've reminded you guys countless times to suck up to him. Why did you have to challenge his order everytime?"

"That Jung bastard is too good at getting on my nerve. He-"

"Don't worry guys. It's merely a baseless rumor, I didn't receive any order to return to headquarters."

The commotion is instantly replaced with frozen silent. No one dares to move from their position and their eyes almost bulge out of their socket when they heard the voice.

"The deputy chief asked you to meet him on the third floor."

Yunho calmly passed by them and relayed the message to their team leader. The man earlier had insolently told about sucking up to Yunho is now struggling to look up at the younger man.

"I... I got it. I'll go there now."

He scrambles to collect the files on his table but accidentally drops them on the floor when Yunho starts to speak again.

"Sergeant Han, about you calling me a bastard, I hope you know my parents won't be too pleased to hear it. Please make sure this is a one time thing."

He pats Woohyuk on the shoulder before giving him one last firm grips. He looks like he's ready to shrink to the ground when Yunho lets him go.

When Yunho saw Changmin across the room, he smiles reassuringly for a short seconds at him before leaving the room. The detectives who were standing close enough when Yunho walked past them just now looks like they are ready to collapse from shock.

***

Both of them are preoccupied with the internal investigation and work so they barely see each other during that time. Yunho has his hands full with two new cases that for over two weeks he spent his weekends at the station picking up leads for his cases. 

At the end of Tuesday, Changmin sighs heavily as he closes the front door. It has been a long day that he is totally unaware of presence of another person in the room. After arranging his shoes neatly, he drags his feet to slump himself on the couch.

He flinches in surprise when a warm hand rest on his neck before another hand reaches his forehead. He recognised the familiar warmth before even turning to look at the figure.

"Tired?"

Changmin nods his head while scrunching his nose, a habit that Yunho secretly adore.

"Very, I almost missed my stop just now."

They move almost in well practised motion and within seconds, Yunho has a head of wild curls resting on his thigh. 

"You seem well rested."

Changmin catches the hand that is stroking his arm aimlessly and hold the palm in front of his face. Using the tip of his finger, he starts writing invisible letters.

"Yeah, I got home early today and after freshen up, thought that I could meet you. I'd pick you up if I know it's this bad."

"Don't bother. I just need a warm shower and after that I'll be as good as new."

Yunho has always been a hardworker himself and he enjoys working to the point it never bother him when he has to skip on eating or sleeping. For the first time ever, he wants someone to stop giving his all for works and take a break for a while when he looks at the man in his lap.

"That sounds nice. Would you like anything to drink before bed?"

Pushing himself to rise up, he pulls Yunho along with him.

"Beer?"

His boyfriend only amusedly approves his choice of drink before letting him leave. He's taking his shirt off when Yunho peaks his head into the room.

"Changmin, you're out of - "

The sentence is hang halfway when Yunho gets a clear look at Changmin's body. His eyes are glued on the bare upper body by the bed. He can clearly see the yellowish spots on the ribs area and several more on the back.

"What happened to you?"

Finally aware of the exposed marked skin to the other's eyes, Changmin quickly covers himself with the towel. Yunho strides to close the gap between them to pull away the cover and inspects the healing bruises. The colour is still distinct against the slightly tanned skin.

"Who did this?"

"It's... well, you know, things happened."

He's ready to walk away when both of his shoulders are gripped in firm hold. The change of air around them is noticeable and the playful man he is used to when they're in comfort of their private space is replaced with much furious one.

"Tell me."

Yunho tries to control his anger in case it would only worsen the situation. He knows Changmin is an adult who has every rights on himself but he couldn't contain his shock with what he saw. He doesn't want to intimidate Changmin to answer him either so he loosen his hold and moves to interlock their hands instead, squeezing the smaller palms gently.

Changmin notices the change of demeanour right away and he is touched by Yunho's care even in the simplest things. He looks at their joined hands before he is willing to talk.

"Last week, someone told the investigators that I seemed the most suspicious so they had me interrogated. They traced that the leaked was done from my computer so the team forced me to confess. Luckily Ryeowook could prove my alibi so I was released. The bruises ..."

He hesitates to continue. It's not that he's trying to defend those people but he feels like it won't change anything so he rather keeps mum about it.

Yunho waits patiently for Changmin to continue. Besides, he wants to avoid from pressuring him even when he's eager to know who dares to hurt his boyfriend.

"Did you get the injury checked?"

He sighs heavily when Changmin shakes his head one more time that night. Yunho touches the bruises lightly, afraid of hurting him even further though any pain from it probably has subsided.

"Sorry, I should have checked on you more often. I would have known about this sooner if I had been paying more attention."

"What are you sorry for? I'm not a kid, I can take care of myself."

"You might be able to take care of yourself, but in this kind of damned society you wouldn't be able to fight back some people on your own without any consequences."

Yunho is not a fool, he could have guessed the story behind the bruises. He's in the force himself and he has seen first hand how seniority plays a huge role and how people choose to deal with a problem. He would not pressure Changmin to tell him when he's reluctant to do so but he isn't a saint either.

***

He can play gentleman all he wants but he saw red when he thinks about what they're done. The next day, he doubles the work loads on the people he assumes as responsible for the injury and purposely set a short deadline for them.

Growing up, Yunho has always been the perfect son who achieves his parents' expectation and along with his almost perfect nature, he has always been dubbed as 'the perfect gentleman' as he reached adulthood. Where's the fun in that if there's no twist to the good boy.

He has his own rebel phase as a teenager and during those days, he would hang out with some shady people without his parents' knowledge. He's good at keeping his connection with others, even when they have nothing in common so there are times when he would put it to use.

After giving them the informations needed, by Thursday he already received the result. It might be illegal method but Yunho admits they could be more efficient than their own trained professionals.

He's not sure whether he is shocked with the result or not because according his source, the only possible person that could had leaked the information was Han Woohyuk. His car was captured on CCTVs leaving the police station at past midnight, which happened to be time after the leaked informations was spread online. And not only that, there is a proof that he was alone at their department but the only computer that was online at that time was Changmin's.

After instructing them to tip off the investigators, the station is in uproar. They begin to investigate everything about Woohyuk and it is basically confirmed he is the perpetrator.

Changmin is dumbfounded at the revelation because though he has bad relationship with him, he couldn't believe that he would try to frame him. Woohyuk was also among the first to incite the beatings he had received so it is unacceptable for him to think that a person could be so wicked.

As if knowing that he would have been busted, the man himself didn't show up at work that day so the special crime unit is dispatched to capture him. Their whole team is under placed in a surveillance room to make sure they don't make contact with the suspect.

Yunho has went to follow the squad, having some debt he needs to settle himself. The worst feeling than capturing the most offensive criminal is to arrest one of their own.

When the arrive at Woohyuk's place, he's fast to slip away when he saw them and it results in them having to chase after him around the block. For the first time Yunho can almost taste blood when he's doing the pursing, determined as he is trying to be the one to capture the man.

When others surround the building, he observes the layout of the neighbourhood from the rooftop and notice a corner to hide himself. Fast to secure his position, he listens to the commotion around before finally he catches a glimpse of someone he's been waiting for.

Just like a predator leaping for its prey, Yunho lunges forward without a single hesitation and soon both of them are fighting for control. Having the advantage of being more fit and agile, Yunho soon pins the man to the ground with ease.

"You're really a bastard, Jung. Why are you even here when it's not even your case?"

Yunho isn't affected when he heard the cursing directed at him because he has even more important matter at hand.

"It's not but I feel responsible to see the one who has the guts to fabricate evidence on his own teammate."

Woohyuk has the audacity to laugh at that, his eyes are viscous showing no sign of regret.

"That brat has it coming, acting like he's better than everyone. I thought some beating would help him to improve his judgement."

He didn't expect to receive the blow on the face and it's not only one time, he receives multiple punch that doesn't stopped until he screams for help. Yunho threateningly grips his hair in and presses his head sideways on the rough road.

"Does this clear your head a little bit?"

Woohyuk didn't expect Yunho to blow up over some newbie which is why he is thinking intensely what had triggered him. He is silent for some times before everything that happened clicked in his mind.

"Don't tell me that kid is your bitch?"

Yunho pursed his lips into a tight line at the name calling but he didn't let any reaction slips, only putting on more pressure on his grip on Woohyuk.

"Damn, he really is? Does he gets on his knees for -"

He doesn't know the full sentence because he has slammed the man's head to the wall next to them and let go of him hold, causing Woohyuk to fall to the ground. Yunho stomps his feet on his chest a few times until he can see Woohyuk could barely twitch.

"One more word, and I can't guarantee we can bring you back in one piece."

Despite his current state, Woohyuk still manage an ugly laughs out and spits his some blood to the side.

"Are you going to risk it all for a cheap lay? I can't believe you're that low, Jung."

His voice is all hoarse now but Yunho can still hear him clearly. Crouching to the ground, his expression has gotten even darker if it's even possible.

"What am I risking, sergeant? I won't lose anything, worry about yourself. For someone who talks about me a lot you sure are forgetful. I'm sure my father would be happy to help me to settle a little... mess. Don't you think so?"

The small smile on his face looks dangerously threateningly eventhough it is paired with a light tone. Woohyuk widens his eyes at him, almost challengingly.

"Keep your mouth shut about what happened today. I'm sure you still at least want to still your little boy graduate one day right? Don't make it hard on your pretty wife, cause I already have few people who can, how should I say it, take care of them, if you will."

His eyes are bloodshot now staring at Yunho and he trembles in anger. Fortunately he's smart enough not to rile up him even further. 

"Not my family. Don't you dare to touch them."

Using the little energy he has left, he weakly clasp at Yunho's shirt. Without bothering to push away his hand, Yunho stands up and steps on his hand on the ground.

"Then I hope you know what I expect from you. As disgraceful as you are, you should know better not to make it hard for them."

Woohyuk can't stop his shrieks when his hands feels crushed under the force. After he has his fill, Yunho alert the team of his location. They're stunned to see the his condition but no one dares to say anything and put on the handcuff Woohyuk's wrist.

When they arrived, everyone is shocked when they saw Woohyuk and he explained that the suspect probably suffered a fall from stairs during the pursuit. They readily accept his explanation and dispersed to continue to their own table after the commotion has died down.

Yunho noticed the lingering stare from Changmin but he let it be for now, knowing that they would deal with it sooner or later.

***

"You know, when we were in academy Kyuhyun actually tripped and fell on his face after getting himself drunk, you know?"

"Really? He must be lucky because I didn't notice any obvious scars on him."

He smiles dismissively but Changmin only stares at him with unimpressed look until he sighs in defeat. He already expected that he would get cornered for it so he's quite prepared with whatever reactions he might receive.

"What do you want to know?"

He pulls Changmin's hand into his lap and as there's no resistance, he thinks he isn't in trouble, for now. 

"Why did you do that?"

"I snapped. I know it's wrong but I lost it at that time. Everything he had done to you all this time, he even purposely implicated and caused harm to you. He still shamelessly had the audacity to insult you after everything."

Yunho clenches his fist tightly when he recalls all the names Woohyuk had used to call Changmin and he can feel the thirst for blood once again. All that is gone when he feels somebody - the only one that matters - unclench his hand and slips his palm into his instead.

"Hyung."

He wills for his heart to calm down just by hearing the voice. A beautiful eyes seeking his own, demanding for attention he is more than willing to give then, now, also the future, forever.

"I appreciate it that you had me in mind but promise me, you're not going to solve things with violent like this again?"

Yunho is hesitant but he eventually agress to the request. He doesn't want his action to hurt Changmin when he only wants him to be happy.

"Do you mean it?"

"I'll never say empty words to you, Changminnie. I promise that it won't happen again and if it must, I'll ask permission from you first."

Seeing Changmin's pleased smile, he cups his lover's face and shower his with kisses all over it. Changmin squirms and giggles at the ticklish sensation while trying to push Yunho away.

"Hyung."

"Hmm?"

Their limbs are mostly tangled with each other, with Yunho still try to pull Changmin closer. 

"Thank you for accepting my feeling."

Yunho kisses Changmin briefly once, twice, thrice and several more times for that before settling for rolling them around, leaving Changmin laying on top of him. He positions himself comfortably in the middle of the bed.

"Thank you for your love, that I can have someone who love me back for who I am."

Changmin drops his head at the crook of Yunho's neck to hide his face. He can feel his face warming up at the way Yunho stares at him and the sincerity in his voice. Furthermore, if he let Yunho looks at him, he would see how much in love he is with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, the fandom is in a mess over some rumors and can't say I'm not affected. The concert is this weekend and truthfully I wish for them to have more duo activities from now on - preferably as Tohoshinki at Japan.
> 
> Anyway, I still need a lot more journals to read (ㅠㅠ) so I'll go back into hiding for now. Btw I didn't get to double check this so apologies in advance for any mistakes :) [I stole a few hours to write this to release some stress so ...]


	11. arc #11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first productive thing I did after completing my papers this week was going straight to the salon and ask for TVXQ's Yunho (thanks to my overwhelming 'obsession' for him lately) hairstyle but the hairdresser kinda goofed up and I ended with Changmin's (his latest looks) 😅 luckily there isn't much difference so all is well I guess. It also helps that I like both of them just fine XD

"Battlerite? Seriously?"

"Shut up, you're just jealous I'm better at most games than you."

Changmin rolls his eyes in annoyance at his best friend's remark, knowing there would be no end if he keeps egging him on. He takes another swig of soda before throwing himself on the couch. He's been in town for merely two days when he received a call from Kyuhyun asking for a favour.

"Mind telling me what trouble you got yourself into this time?"

Without turning away from the screen, Kyuhyun starts with asking whether he remembers Donghae, a senior Kyuhyun is closed to ever since their college days. He remembers the shorter man alright, as he is quite lively and fun whenever he’s around.

“Donghae hyung has this friend, a designer who’s starting to get his name known –“

“So are you telling me he wants me to model for him?”

He cuts to the chase when Kyuhyun is keeps pondering on his words.

“Basically.”

He stares in disbelief before swinging the chair around so they can face each other when he is quite annoyed with what his friend has done.

“You gotta be kidding me, man. I’ve got reputation to keep.”

“Well, that’s the point. Donghae hyung kinda hopes with your reputation, people would take a look at his friend’s collection. He’s not exactly a no-name designer either as his brand seems to be getting more recognition, it’s just it is not as grand as the established big fashion houses you’re accustomed to.”

Changmin keeps shaking his head, refusing such thing. He’s been at the top far too long and his name has only ever been associated with the big fashion houses and top designers. It would taint his run if he suddenly be linked with a no name individual.

“No way, I can’t do that.”

“Dude, please. I won’t agree too if it was another people but it’s Donghae hyung. I mean, I practically owe him a lot.”

He stops to think for a moment now that Kyuhyun has pulled the big card. Of course he’s aware that his friend would feel indebted for life to Donghae. He had a huge accident back then and when he was recovering, Donghae is among the only seniors that treated him nicely which lead them to having good relationship until now. 

Seeing that Changmin has gone silent, Kyuhyun quickly takes the chance to persuade him.

“Just some photoshoots, it won’t take much time. I’m sure it’s not as extended as the big names’ ones.”

After several contemplative minutes, Changmin finally nods his head in agreement.

“Consider this as I’m helping you out as a friend.”

***

“I thought Donghae was only joking when he said he got a famous model for me.”

Changmin looks up at the owner of the voice. A friendly smile greets him and a pair of almond eyes looking at him in amazement. He quickly puts down the magazine he’s been reading while waiting and stands on his feet to greet the designer. 

Has he not been informed about the man, he would assume the man is another model hired for the job. They’re about the same height and with his small face and amazing physical proportion, Jung Yunho doesn’t fall short in looks department even when standing next to a model.

“I’m really sorry for running late but there was some problem I had to settle just now.”

“Don’t worry, I haven’t waited for long either.”

His manager, Yoonseok, almost make a double take at his tone. Though his smile isn’t as wide or warm as Yunho’s, he still looks considerably polite instead of his usual indifferent demeanour.

“I’m sorry that you got roped into this on short notice, though I’m not sure how Donghae did it. I only complained to him that the model I have chosen suddenly decided to back off. He only said not to worry and the shootings will continue as planned.”

He has heard about it from Kyuhyun. The original model ran off without giving prior notice after receiving better offer from another company. Although he's not particularly the easiest act to be managed, at least he still knows that is a low move.

"Well, consider yourself lucky that I'm coincidentally free enough to become someone else's replacement."

Changmin is back to his usual chic attitude but Yunho either he is really unbothered or just plain oblivious, his smile doesn't falter one bit. He asks the permission to take his measurement to see if there’s adjustment needs to be done on the clothes and when they are done, the hair and makeup team enter the room and ready to doll him up. At that time, Yunho has left the room with his assistants. 

He only sees Yunho once again after he put on the outfits for the first shoots. Yunho does the fitting himself, making sure the clothes fits at the right places, highlighting his longs legs and lean figure.

“Can I ask you something?”

He tilts his face upwards while Yunho fixes the kink at the collar.

“Go on.”

“Is this set specifically intended for a male or female when you were designing it?”

When he put on the suits, he has noticed that even when it is a formal dress shirt for a man, there is a feminine touch to the look. For high end brand, it is common for shirts to be made suited for both genders but even so, for formal wears usually the line between men’s and women’s wears are distinct enough.

He finds it quite interesting and is curious with the designer’s take on the motif. He manages to create a style that stands out from the standard formula but still able to make it as elegant and appropriate without the unnecessary element that could make it looks like a try-hard attempt or vulgar.

When his question is met with a silent, Changmin takes a look at Yunho to see whether he has unintentionally offended him. All he sees is a small smile takes place on his face, as if entertained by the question. After he’s done with his task, Yunho straighten his posture and look at Changmin with a wide grin.

“None. I made it with the clothes itself in mind.”

Changmin looks at him as if he has just said something silly.

“Isn’t it a pity to restrict something to gender everytime? If we can look at a person as it is without letting anything else obstructing our view or judgement on them, it is also possible view clothes that way. This way, instead of letting the person defines the clothes, the clothes will bring out the quality of its wearer. Thus, creating a clothes that suits everyone instead of only selected people.“

He doesn’t get a chance to have his say on it when Yunho already pushes him chirpily to the set, where the photographer is already waiting. For once, he actually isn’t tired out or got bored by the long shooting hours. He might even admit it is almost enjoyable because for every outfit changes, he can ask or talk about anything to Yunho and the answers he would receive are unexpected but it surprisingly matches with his own view quite well. Being in the industries since his teenage years, he is used to pretentious words that it intrigues him for a bit when he meets such a candid person.

His manager, if he noticed his rather good mood for the rest of the day, he is wise enough not to comment on it. When they are done for the day, he seeks to meet Yunho but he is told that the man has left earlier to attend other matter. Nevertheless, he has reminded his assistant to help Changmin with anything he needs. It dampens his spirit immediately. He doesn’t speak much after that, leaving his manager to deal with the rest while he waits in the car.

He doesn’t understand himself for it. He never bothers to talk much especially when it is not related to work so he is not sure what he was trying to achieve there just now. 

***

Fast forward a few weeks later, it is one of the most notable times for fashion enthusiasts in the country. The Seoul Fashion Week has just kicked off and it is the centre of glitz and glamour where celebrities and socialites can easily be found at front rows of during shows.

He is booked for overseas activities at that time but surprisingly he flies back during a short interval of his schedule. His manager questions the relevancy of his action which he doesn’t have the answer himself. Arriving around midnight, he found himself roams at the shows venue the very next day.

“It’s a nice surprise to see you here.”

“Changmin?”

He quickly bids goodbye to an acquaintance he was talking to when he noticed the particular person he’s been waiting for.

“Hey, it’s such a coincidence isn’t it?”

“Yes. Are you meeting anyone here?”

Changmin is taken aback with the question as he just realised he hasn’t prepare an answer in advance for that. He brushes it off casually by giving vague answer and continues to lounge around there prolonging the conversation. 

They were laughing about something Yunho told him when his phone rings demanding his attention. He almost rejects the call when he saw Kyuhyun’s name on the screen when Yunho told him to answer it. A staff approaches Yunho while he is on the phone and using hand gestures, Yunho signals him that he is leaving.

***

Another two weeks later, he sets his feet at a boutique. As soon as he enters the premise, he can see a fancy looking young woman with makeup tad too bright clinging to Yunho’s arm while laughing. He instantly regrets his decision and close to making his exit when Yunho notices him.

“Changmin!”

He is left without much choice but to turn around and wait them to make their way towards him. As soon as they are in front of him, the woman suddenly clutches onto his arm instead causing him to flinches slightly. It causes her smile to deter a bit but she doesn’t let go of her hold.

“It’s really my lucky day. I’ve been asking Yunho to give me your contacts since I saw you modelled for him, Shim Changmin.”

Yunho only gives him a wry smile when Changmin looks at him.

“I tried to tell her I don’t have your personal contacts and even if I have it, I can’t give it away without permission.”

He accepts the excuse while completely ignoring the whining coming from his side. With ease of someone who is experienced with dealing with such inconvenience, he firmly tugs off his arm from her hold and put a distance between them.

“If you need anything, you can reach me through my manager. I’m sure you can get his contacts from my agency.”

He knows he is bordering rude with his facial expression and tone but he couldn’t care less. As if not getting his message, the lady still tries to get his attention.

“Since we already meet here you can personally give me your number. There is a party at my father’s company and-“

“Sure, you can explain it directly to my manager.”

Without wasting more time, Changmin walks inside and soon after Yunho appears by his side.

“You might need to worry for pissing her off. I heard her family’s ties with important people are no joke.”

“I’d rather lose deals than keeping up with someone like that.”

Yunho only amusedly shakes his head at Changmin’s stubbornness, a side he hasn’t seen from their short time being acquainted. 

“It amazed me that you’re still so frank even after this whole time knowing how butthurt people in this field can be.”

“It’s all thanks to Yoonseok hyung, my manager. He always do all the talking for me since the lesser I talk, there would be smaller chance for me to offend people. I’d long be kick from the industry out if it’s up to me.”

“I’m glad I have the chance to see this part of you without being filtered out by your manager. It’s refreshing to hear things being said directly from a model’s honest point of view."

That makes the two of them, since for him Yunho’s character isn’t something he encounters everyday either. Not that he gonna says it aloud though.

“Let me warn you that you would get sick of it pretty soon. Plus we aren’t lacking with numbers of rude models in the scene.”

“I never think of you as rude though? You’re blunt with words but that’s it. From what I see, you’re just not as concerned with how others might perceive you but a rude person would purposely offend others for the sake of their ego.”

The denial surprised him because there aren’t many who described him otherwise. He knows Yunho is not lying or trying to suck up to him as he seems genuinely mean it when he said it. He covers his feeling at those words by pretending to focus looking at the materials in front of him.

“Oh, I forgot to ask you what are you looking for here.”

“I’d like to have a suits custom tailored suits. My friend’s sister is getting married and I think you might be able to design something that matches my style for the event.”

Changmin is amused to see the mixture of reactions on his face before it settles into one filled with happiness – he’s beaming is contagious that it might even replace the sun with how much his smile brighten up Changmin’s mood along.

“It’s truly an honour, to receive such acknowledgement from you.”

Maybe he should get something special for Kyuhyun for his next birthday because somehow he thinks he has received the most valuable gift from the man – albeit unintentionally. For the time being, he prefers to let it stays as a secret he keeps only to himself.

***

It is the first time Changmin has noted that he actually has quite a few spare times he never appreciated wisely before but now it feels like he doesn’t have enough of those. It started off with little things where he would stop by only to look at the sketches or changing the type of fabrics he wants. Things that could be done via simple text or email would still summon him to come in person. 

Before he knows it, Changmin might or might not have become addicted to his smile, the way his eyes crinkled when he laughs at Changmin’s wittiness, his sheepish smile when being nagged for skipping meals, his own way to cheer Changmin up when he’s tired from his schedules – he realised he has fallen without knowing when it happened.

It happens spontaneously, out of habits, when he comes to pick up the suits.

“It’s really nice, guess I’ll look even better than the bride’s brother.”

He looks at the image in the mirror with satisfaction, spinning around a few times to examine his looks.

“Guess you also make this one with the outfits in mind, right?”

Their eyes meet through the reflection in the mirror, neither are willing to back down. 

“No, I made it with a ‘Shim Changmin’ in mind. An outfit that would specifically looks like a misfit on others but one person, it is designed with your essence in mind.”

“Oh? I thought you prefer making something that would match every wearer.”

Turning around to face Yunho, Changmin raises one brow repeating his words during their first meeting.

“Consider that I got greedy this time, because it is a first for me meeting someone as peculiar as you.”

“Is that a polite way to call me difficult?”

Once again he is graced with the melodious laughs. Yunho looks at him with eyes filled with humour as if he has just told him a funny joke.

“I’ve met people who are far more difficult. Like I said, you’re peculiar but not because you’re difficult instead it’s due to you have your own colour.”

Listening to Yunho at the moment, Changmin toys with the cuffs of the shirt and speaks to him with a quiet voice.

“Yunho, you once said you don’t let gender or other things restrict your view on clothes.”

“Hmm.”

“What about a person?”

Suddenly the air around them feels like it has become thicker. His sense is heighten when there is no answer following his question.

“Do gender and other quality affect your view on someone?”

“No, if I like someone it means I like them for who they are – other thing doesn’t really matter for me.”

Yunho finally said after leaving the silence lingers around them. It makes Changmin dares to be hopeful. When he looks up, he catches that Yunho is already staring him. Without giving a hint of his inner turmoil on his face, he dares to ask the next question.

“Then, theoretically, if a man were to confess to you, there is a chance you would accept it?”

Keeping a smile to himself, Yunho could already guessed the little game he is pulled into by now and decided to play along.

“If I happen to like him as well, I don’t see the reason why I shouldn’t accept it.”

“What if it’s me? What do you think about me as a person?”

***

“What’s with the long face? You should look happier since it’s your sister’s wedding.”

Kyuhyun glares at Changmin once again, before sighing for the nth times that day.

“How long have you been together? I never thought people-hating person like you would bring someone to this kind of ceremony.”

Looking at two men who is sharing a laugh at whatever they are talking about, Changmin smiles in contentment. It doesn’t take long before the taller between the two sense his stare and look at him. They communicate through their eyes, in a language that is only known to them.

“Jealous much, Cho? You should learn from Donghae hyung on how to be happy for your friend.”

“Donghae hyung has a lot of reason to be happy as between both of us, it is me who bet on you wouldn’t bring a plus one. Can you give me a head on next time, Chwang?”

Kyuhyun grumbles annoyingly while giving a harmless punch on his arm. He doesn’t even flinch because he can see that Yunho is already making his way towards him and for him, the looks in his boyfriend’s eyes at that moment is the only thing he cares about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just read one fic - "acceleration due to gravity" by lliyk - and it's so calming and I love it. Each chapters are really giving off lovely vibes and I feel refresh by the end of it. Give it a try if you haven't read it yet ^^


	12. arc #12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm happy because I just returned from my hometown and though it's only for two days, I got to sleep at my grandmother's place. My grandmother complained that my cousin keeps flying back to Japan when he's actually still studying somewhere else. Homemade food is really the best 😊👍 
> 
> I end up writing another meaningless scenes because I got too excited so here we go.

"Yunho."

He can hear the danger alarms blaring from the way his mother gently called his name. Slowly darting his eyes to his father at the head of the table, he swallows the food in his mouth.

"Your father told me that you've been doing excellent jobs at the company."

Yunho put on a smile hoping that it doesn't look as fake as it feels. Under the table Jihye is kicking his leg trying to get his attention, where he knows she's trying to make it even harder for him.

"I bet he is, don't you think he looks thinner lately, mom?"

"He is a carbon copy of your father. They have their fun letting me worrying over them while they think they can eat those papers and documents by staring at it. It's really hard for me to meet my own son, do you even have proper meal when you're at your place?"

Yunho and Jihye laughs at their dad exasperated reaction for being dragged into their mother's lecture when he has been doing nothing but eating quietly. Upon having his mother's glare set on him, Yunho immediately snaps his mouth shut.

"I'll try to come home more often, mother."

"Forget about it, you said the same things everytime you're here. You need to find someone who can take care of you."

He knows nothing can stop his mother once she starts but he can still try to get himself out of this situation. From the corner of his eyes, he can see his sister grinning like a Cheshire cat at his misery.

"I'm sure you've heard about how busy it is at work nowadays, mother. When do I have time to meet anyone?"

Giving his best 'good boy' smile to his mother, he thought he is saved until he saw her delighted smile.

"I talked about you to my friends the other day. I manage to get you a date so you better put on effort and try to make this one works."

This time he immediately looks at his father sending the help signals from his eyes. He is fighting a losing battle when he sees his mother already has her hand on his father's.

"You're not giving our son extra work or appointments on weekends right, honey?"

Almost like a sitcom, his father turns to him and sentencing him to a date he doesn't get a say at.

"Of course. Enjoy your date, son."

***

That's how he ends up waiting for over 30 minutes for his date at an upscale restaurant which his mom has picked. Everything has been arranged and all he has to do is to show up but he suspects that he might have been stood up from zero sign of the said date.

Just as he is about to leave, he hears footsteps approaching the table. Immediately he rises to greet the person and when he turns around he is staring straight into the prettiest set of eyes he's ever seen.

He couldn't hide his surprise and gawks at the equally taken aback person. When he finally regains his composure, he clears his throat an said the first the that comes to his mind.

"You don't look like a Shim Jiyeon."

"You don't look like a Jung Jihye either."

Yunho would laugh if it's any other day but he's been sitting there all anxious on how to politely end the dinner as soon as possible without hurting the other party only to have a man with a bouquet of flower looking puzzled at him for being there. It sure is a laugh worthy material.

"I don't know what's going on but my mother told me I'd be meeting the daughter of her acquaintance and if we're talking about the same person, Jihye is my younger sister."

"Well, my sister told me to come here because - oh shit!"

Yunho becomes more confused when the man suddenly cursed and swipes his hair back in annoyance. He curses some more before looking at Yunho guiltily.

"Look, first of all I'm really sorry for this. Jiyeon is my younger sister and this might be some kind of prank she pulled on me. Especially after what I did to embarrass her last time."

He only mumbled lowly at the last part but Yunho still get a gist of their situation. A part of him is relief he doesn't have to be the bad guy. He returns to his seat and offers the empty chair in front of him to his 'date'.

"It's fine, there goes our parents plan on playing matchmakers. I'll just tell her that we're not interested in each other if she asked later."

"Thanks, man. I won't take it to heart if you want to expose her though, she really takes it too far with this. I'm Changmin, by the way."

"Yunho. Nah, no need to make it awkward for our moms. She saves me in a way since I don't think I can commit to a relationship for now."

Two bouquets of flower lay out of place on the table with both of them taking the seats facing each other. Their table provides them a beautiful view of the city thanks to the strategic location of the restaurant. It no doubt would give a romantic touch to the first date his mother has envisioned.

"You know that if it were not a prank it would be my sister who would be waiting for over half an hour for you here, right?"

Changmin raised both of his hands admitting his fault when Yunho used his protective-brother tone on him. It suddenly occurs to him that it could actually be the scenario when he recalled how long he has been waiting.

"I don't have any excuse for my tardiness. I'm truly sorry for being this late. I went to the office this afternoon and somehow I didn't realise how late it already was. I had to return to my apartment to get change and make a detour to come here."

Initially Yunho wants to get mad at him for the lack of punctuality, especially that it would save him a lot of time and et him to actually do something more productive than waiting on the wrong person. After considering that Changmin already apologised for the second time in the short span of time, he decides to let it slide.

"You know that it's actually fine for you to leave by now because if my sister isn't lying about the time, I think you have been waiting for almost an hour here. Even the one that shows up is my sister, no one should make their date wait for that long."

"I should at least make a decent first impression to my date, especially if I want to make the only date we have. It's better to make a clean cut than letting unnecessary things drag on and toy on people's feeling."

Though he has never met the young man personally before, he did have a few encounters with his old man when he has to fill in for his father during formal occasions. If he remembers correctly, around last year he heard the talks that the Shim's family only son would finally start working under his own father.

"Are you ready to order now, sir?"

The waitress comes to their sides make them realised that they have stalled a little too long at the table. 

"I think I'll just have my dinner here. Mind joining me? I assumed you haven't eaten either since you spent the whole day working."

Changmin looks between him and the waitress before nodding hesitantly. After making their order, they are left alone once again.

"I guess your father can now ease his mind a little."

"Excuse me?"

"I've talked to him before and he was quite worry that you didn't show any interest with the family's business."

Changmin laughs with a hint of embarrassment at the comment, from the way the tip of his ears turning slightly red and his left hand covering his mouth. Yunho noticed the large eyes become mismatched when he is laughing.

"Yeah, my dad worries too much. I told him I would still end up working with him sooner or later, so I wanted to have fun before I started with all the serious stuffs."

Honestly when he heard about him before Yunho thought he was a troublemaker of sort but now, he thinks that Changmin probably is living his life like anyone would, if they have the money and time for it. Not that he would know much about the fun part because he was already trained to be a part of the business ever since he was young. Sometimes he wonder how much does he missed out on being 'normal'.

"What is it?"

"Huh?"

"You suddenly looks gloomy."

"It's nothing. So does that mean you're giving up music for good then?"

Changmin doesn't seem to buy his dismissal but when he brought up about music, his reaction is a mixture of surprised and embarrassed. It makes him looks boyish when his eyes widen for a bot before they become mismatched again when he scrunched his nose.

"You even know about that?"

"You would be surprised with the amount of information we could get from all the small talks at all those events. Often I know about a person before I even met them, like right now."

During his first time joining a company's dinner, he got really drained from all the talks. He couldn't escape from it either because all the important people are older than him so he needs to listen to their stories and react properly at right timing. 

"Wow, that sounds like a lot of fun."

Yunho immediately laughs at the sarcasm dripping from Changmin's voice. He didn't expect he would say it with a straight face. It is rare to see such an honest reaction when they could possibly be rival once they return to work on Monday.

They spend the rest of their dinner talking about Changmin's plan on getting back at his sister. After staring at the pititful flowers, they decide to exchange the bouquets with each other to mark the bizarre first meeting. 

After he parks his car at the basement of his apartment, Yunho chuckles to himself when he takes the flower from the passenger seat to bring it to his place.

***

"How would you rate it?"

Yunho whispers to Changmin once they are far enough from the others. He thought he saw wrongly when he noticed him at the table next to him when he arrived at the charity auction dinner. He confirmed it is really Changmin when the younger man grinned almost shyly with his mismatched eyes at him.

"I almost ran out of generic response if you didn't save me just now. How do you survive this everytime?"

He laughs heartily ignoring their surrounding when Changmin makes an exaggerated well suffering face. Despite leaning more on introvert side, the younger man is very expressive with his facial expressions which even Yunho admits that it makes him rather endearing.

"Cheer up, Changmin. It is only the beginning, you haven't seen anything yet."

Changmin groans at the thought of returning to their respective table. Usually it's hard for him to meet people who's around his age at such functions so Yunho is happy that the attention won't be solely aimed at him anymore, at least for that night.

"Hyung, do we really need to stay until the end?"

Due to the nature of their first meeting, Yunho has allowed Changmin to address him as 'hyung' instead of usual standard honorific for his business associate.

"Unfortunately, yes. That's how it is here."

"I think I can't digest the food well after listening to all the talk. There's also the way as if they're waiting me to do something right there and then. I might do dumb things at time but do they really think I would make a scene here?"

Even the men and women at Yunho's table were very interested with Changmin's presence. Most of them keep glancing at him with a sly smirk. Yunho feels sorry for him but he knows better than to be on the wrong side of the powerful and riches. Even if their father are highly respected and one of the most known big shots in their country, both he and Changmin are merely inexperienced newcomers in the eyes of others if people look at them without their family's name.

They returned into the hall separately after that. Changmin excused himself first when Yunho is approached by others and they start talking regarding matters unfamiliar to him. When Yunho comes back, Changmin frowned when he takes the seat next to him. 

"That seat is taken though."

"I changed seats with the pretty director over there. It's getting old listening to them gossiping about others at my table."

Both of them look at Yunho's former table, and he raises his glass with respect in her direction. Changmin nods slightly when she smiles at him.

"Good decision, finally there's someone I know here."

As he has a few more years on Changmin, naturally he is more familiar with them creating diversions in their attention. His more easy going character put him in a quite comfortable position among them and he effortlessly pulls Changmin into the conversation every time.

It is only when they part ways later they finally ask for each other's contacts number. 

***

Yunho can't exactly pinpoint the exact moment their relationship taking a turn from its original track. Maybe it has never moulded in the same shape as all his other friendships to begin with. He doesn't get to examine it further nor does he cares to.

Their casual hangout increase in its frequency and soon Changmin becomes a fixed variable in his 24 hours. He started off by taking a few minutes in a week then it becomes a few minutes in a day that proceeds to turn into a few hours per day. He even secures a spot in his mind when he is not in his usual place next to Yunho.

Their first confession of love is rather anticlimactic compared to the build up. His first time failing in obtaining a contract was also Changmin's first successful deal so their party, which involved several mutual friends, is something in between a congratulatory and consolation for each of the two.

Despite being on the losing side, Yunho proved himself to be a good sport about it as he was the most excited on the younger's achievements and keep praising Changmin to anyone who were willing to listen. Changmin ended up dragging Yunho away from the others when he could no longer hide the heat on his face.

The loud surrounding fell into a hush atmosphere once they were all alone. Yunho couldn't remember what is the trigger or who leaned into the other first but when their lips touched it was like a long overdue tension igniting spark between them. Neither of them cared to halt in uncertainty, lost in the indulgence of slick movements of their lips and battle between their tongues, which they would later blame to the amount of alcohol in their systems.

They woke up to an empty apartment but the proof of their previous night's entanglement came in the form of polaroid pictures left on the side table. Apparently their 'beloved' friends decided that the pictures of them snuggling on the couch in their sleep would be the most perfect gift to mark their the end of the party.

After series of stumbling over word in an attempt to explain their actions, they settled with declaring themselves as an item much to the satisfaction of both parties.

***

"Good morning, Changdol."

Fresh from the shower, he pats randomly on lump of blanket on 'Changmin's side' of bed. There is no visible body parts peeking out from the thick blanket apart from a tiny bit of curly hair proving the existence of human inside it.

"Changminnie."

Yunho pulls down the material slightly to reveal a frowning with his eyes shut Changmin. In his partially sleeping state, he still tries to pull the blanket to cover his head in order to block the light from disturbing his sleep.

"Five more minutes, hyung."

"That's what you said before I leave the bed before. Wake up now you sleepyhead."

He purposely clasps the bare shoulder causing his lover to shiver due to the remaining coldness from his skin. Finally the pair of pretty eyes are willing to open even when just to glare in displeasure at him.

"You're irritating, hyung."

"And you're gonna be late if you don't get up now."

Still sitting in his towel at the edge of the bed, he tries to coax Changmin to rise up from the bed which eventually takes a few more minutes. By the time Changmin rises from the bed it feels like he has used half of his energy when the day has barely started. 

Changmin pads into the bathroom while still grumbling with his hair pointing wildly at different directions. In his biased eyes, even in his sleep-rumpled state Changmin is still the most adorable in his eyes. 

He can see Changmin walking towards him with his still dripping wet hair when he's fixing his necktie. He doesn't say a thing when taking his neatly pressed shirt to walk past Yunho into the bedroom. 

Yunho adjusts the tie in last time before exiting the closet and locating Changmin from the sound of the hairdryer. When he found Changmin is still looking quite grumpy, he latches on him from behind and making trails of kisses on his neck.

"Are you mad, Changminnie?"

"Last night you promised you would let me sleep in. You lied, hyung."

He bites slightly the nearest skin he can find causing Changmin to jerk a little and finally turn to face him. Satisfied with the outcome, he lets his fingers linger to caress the sharp jawline. Yunho knows him too well and judging from his lack of protest, it shows that Changmin actually isn't as mad as he appeared to be.

"Technically, I said I would let you wake a little later than usual and I did let you have 15 minutes extra sleep, baby."

The crease on his forehead deepen when he listens to Yunho's explanation. He is about to protest when a kiss lands square on his mouth which effectively silenced him.

"Think about it, I'm not really lying right? It's my words against yours, Changminnie."

Before Changmin could retaliate, Yunho immediately punctuates his arguments with playful kisses focusing on his lips. He nibbles on the nub at the centre of the plump lips until his boyfriend becomes pliant in his hold.

They barely made it on time reaching their respective workplaces as a result of their bathroom shenanigans.

***

"Changminnie, can you believe that this is our first getaway outside of Seoul as a couple?"

He takes in the view of the sea from their hotel's room. In actuality they have their own rooms but after they checked in upon arrival, he has been lodging in with Changmin. He doesn't even bother to enter his room.

"Last time I checked we are here for works. If it's up to you I don't think we can even reach here."

Their companies are collaborating for a project set on Jeju Island and both of them are tasked to oversee the progress. He is ecstatic when he's informed about the news and now that they're there he almost couldn't content his excitement.

"Sorry that we never go anywhere for how long we've been together. I promise I'll try to make sort my schedule to go on real vacation with you next time."

Changmin had asked him once to go on holiday together but he was too busy during the period that he had to say 'no' for the first time to the request. He still remembers how hard Changmin tried to hide his disappointment and even went out of his way to convince Yunho he didn't really mind about it.

"Oh come on, hyung. You're not that old to get all melancholic over that. You know that's just the way I speak."

In matter of seconds, Changmin has joined him by the window and nudge his arm only to slung his arm around his shoulder, pulling him close. Yunho has to bend his body a little to fit into Changmin's hold.

"Of course. You're everything I could ever ask for anyway."

"Don't be cheesy, hyung."

He still turned flush red no matter how many times he's heard Yunho said it to him after all this time.

Their first and second day are packed until the end of the day that they couldn't do much except returning to their room in exhaustion. They had to spend two consecutive days visiting the sites and meeting all their contractors and suppliers. 

It is a little bit better on the third day because due to weather restrictions, they have to postpone the evening plans leaving them with almost half of the day to themselves. 

Yunho decides be a good boyfriend and accompanies Changmin to do one of his most favourite activities. For the whole evening, they roam at the market and it feels as if someone has given him the stars and moon and all the jewels on earth when he sees Changmin's excitement to try out the street food.

It's hard to believe that when he thought he couldn't fall any deeper for the man, he is filled with another burst of overflowing love for him just from watching him enjoying his food. He really is besotted by the one and only Shim Changmin's mere existence.

"What are we gonna eat for dinner?"

They're sitting at one of the chairs on the sidewalk when Changmin asks him that. Yunho looks at the amount of food they just bought to confirm he's not hallucinating when doing so.

"We're still going out to eat?"

"You said you you're going to eat all I want, and I want real food for my dinner."

He looks at his boyfriend who is still sipping on tangerine drink he insisted to try. 

"Don't try to go back on your promise this time. It's my words against yours, baby."

Yunho could only laugh at the familiar comeback. Even without Changmin reminding him, he would still happily follow him to the end of the world.

At night, for dinner they go to a restaurant that is slightly far from their hotel. It is a simple local restaurant by the sea but the seafood served there is extremely fresh and they know how to cook it to make sire the taste isn't too overwhelming especially most people often have more than one kind of dish on their table at the same time.

There's that kind of undescribable content feeling when one has the privilege to enjoy warm food with their loved ones by their side. Yunho thought that such level of happiness should be illegal because he knows he wouldn't be able to settle for less anymore after this.

For the rest of their stay, they spend it by being burrowed with works. They don't want to let their personal feelings interfere the quality of the work even for the smallest task.

***

"Hyung, didn't I remind you to pack your luggage last night? You're going to make us miss the flight."

Changmin barges into the bathroom when has just stepped out of the shower. It is just seconds after he has wrapped the towel around his waist, not that it would be much different between them if he doesn't.

"When did you tell me that?"

"Last. Night. Our flight is in two hours and -"

"Wait, didn't I tell you we would return to Seoul on Sunday?"

They're staring at each other trying to get their point across only to be hitting dead end. 

"You didn't tell me? I would remember if you did and why didn't you say it when I told you to pack you luggage last night?"

"I told you about it the night before, Changdol. Were you sleeping when I was talking to you?"

Out of habit, Changmin smiles sheepishly and scrunched his nose. It's a good thing Yunho has a good reflex because moments later Changmin lunges at him and luckily he could get a grasp of him on time.

"So, we're going to spend the weekends not for work purposes?"

He received an armful of very excited Changmin with his confirmation. They almost stumble when Changmin decided attack him with kisses, which is the reason Yunho conveniently pull him into the shower stall and producing a high pitched scream from the bathroom when he intentionally aim the spray of water at the still fully clothed man.

***

Weekend at Jeju together is a revelation. After a spending the whole Saturday going around places, Changmin told Yunho to wait for him at the beach near in front of their hotel while he pick something up.

He is immersed with the hypnotising sound of the crashing waves when he sense someone plops down next to him. When Yunho turns with a smile at him, he is surprised to Changmin is already holding a guitar to his bosom.

"Where did you get that?"

"Let's just say that the hotel really provides top tier service."

Yunho is presented with a picturesque view of Changmin serenading him with the song after song during late evening, with a hue of the setting sunlight illuminating the scene. His voice is really a gift and the way his eyes are filled with happiness with every notes he plays is making Yunho feels the tipsy feeling like he's drunk on something strong.

By the end of another love song, Yunho scoots closer to cradle Changmin's face into his warm hands. He stares into the prettiest eyes he loved so much before placing a soft kiss at his temple.

"Changmin, let me introduce you properly to my parents when we got back."

"Hyung, we -"

They haven't told their families about their relationship nor have they meet them outside of professional settings yet. Having the same background means that sometimes they would cross path during some of the formal events but they would only interact no more than a business partners would with others' presence around them.

"I don't want to keep you as a secret anymore, you deserve better, Changmin."

It feels unfair that he couldn't give Changmin the things any couple could easily have. Not that Changmin has ever demand it from him but sometimes when he looks at Changmin's sleeping face, getting another round of his nagging or just listening to the sound of his laughs, he wants nothing more than to give him all the goods in the world.

Yunho holds his face with the softest touch he could muster when Changmin looks down at the space between them. It has always been one of his biggest insecurities despite Yunho convincing him that nothing could ever change what they have.

"We don't have to if you don't-"

"Im ready, hyung. Let's meet them together tomorrow."

***

The meeting is set in a private room at a Japanese cuisine restaurant. They each come with their own families and their parents immediately happily greet each other as soon as they meet.

They take opposite side of the table with their own parents and sister. It's not like he's confident with what he's about to do but one look into Changmin's eyes gives him courage to start it for them.

"I'm sorry for suddenly for calling everyone here but there's something long overdue I need to tell you."

The following silence allows him to continue after he takes a few calming breath himself. There's even more deafening silence when he's done before he hears Changmin's voice, as soothing as ever.

"I'm really sorry because you must be expecting a daughter-in-law from your only son, I know that for a fact because we happened to meet because he's supposed to meet my sister. I might be the only flaw in his spec but I can't be sorry that I meet him."

"Changmin! Don't you ever speak of yourself like that."

There's a warning in his voice, scolding Changmin for his choice of word. Never once has he thought of him as a flaw. He almost went to his side when he hears someone interrupts them.

"I really regretted becoming the one who caused this, I mean, it could've been me who's sitting here today showing off my amazing boyfriend to everyone."

Changmin snaps his head at his sister who's sitting on his left, stunned with her lack of reaction. Yunho now also looks confused at Jiyeon's calm acceptance.

"What? He's really a fine catch and I actually willingly handed him to you, in a way. If there's anyone who should be talking about regret today, it's me."

"Why aren't you surprised?"

Yunho hears Jihye snorts before she exchange knowing glances with Sooyeon.

"You're not that good at being subtle, you know."

He turns to his sister asking for explanation before the elders at their table start to laugh. All four of them, especially their mothers look more than ready to coo at their confused faces if given the chance.

"You do know we are not that oblivious right? We are just waiting for you to feel comfortable to share it with us."

"It would be a lie if I didn't feel shock when I first learned about it but it seems like you really take a good care about Yunho, and it's obvious it's you who makes him happy. I think that would be enough."

"Changmin used to be bad when it comes to dealing with people before but his dad told me when he saw you guys together at the same functions, he tolerated the others better. Plus, he is more serious when it comes to work now so we're relieved he found a person like you, Yunho."

Receiving the words from their mothers make both of them visibly flustered. Their sisters jump at the chance to tease their brothers by the sudden turn of event. It becomes chaotic and both of them keep stealing glances helplessly at each other.

"So, you're really fine with this right?"

"You have lived your whole life wanting to fulfill our expectations, son. You barely have fun during your schooldays when kids your age went to fool around. Your mother and I are happy that now you have someone who you can share your life with."

Changmin's father also nods at the words as if confirming it when Changmin turns to him to see his reaction. 

"It might not be as easy especially since we live in this kind of country, but personally, why does it matter? You're the one who's going to live your life together, no one should tell you how to fall in love."

He would remember the smile Changmin has on his face at the positive receptions from everyone. Yunho knows he has found his forever when he sees the way the eyes he has fallen for since the first time he saw it become mismatched and gleams with happiness when he looks at everyone before he finally stops at him.

'Let's grow old together.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TOMORROW TOUR is really the best ! Yunho & Changmin have really become gods of the east like they are destined to be. Have everyone got their hand on it because it's really a GOOD watch. It really warms my heart to see them with TOHO teams. I hope they will come back to Japan soon for next tours, albums and singles (probably on second half of the year since Changmin has to shoot for the food show and Yunho with his to-be-revealed activity that he mentioned at the Nissan FM). I haven't watched Circle Con yet but I believe it's also as good. May TVXQ keep giving us this kind of blessing for a longer time. Yunho & Changmin , please stay together, always ^^


	13. arc #13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have fish memory so I can't remember if I've wrote anything with this setting before.
> 
> *also I've just realised I don't know how South Korean school system is so let's hope it's not too different from Japanese one.

"Is there anything else you need me to do?"

Yunho has just settled with moving some boxes, which mainly consists of their personal belongings, into their room. He look at the living room which is filled with random thing here and there but it is considerably bearable compare to yesterday when they have just moved in.

"You can take a rest now if you want."

Changmin is sitting at the corner with his head low, hand flipping on pages. Yunho leaves to have a cold drink to quench his thirst and takes out a can of cold beer for Changmin, just like how he likes it.

When he comes back, Changmin still has his head in the book, unmoving from his position. Yunho walks with mute steps, trying to ambush him from behind when a voice startled him.

"You do know that I've heard your footsteps earlier right, hyung?"

It effectively ruins his plan and as a revenge, he place the icy can to Changmin's cheek. It makes him jolt in surprise at the unexpected coldness before he snatches it away and tries to rub away the lingering tingling feeling with his palm.

"What could possibly make you stop cleaning and all smiley, hmm?"

Yunho hugs his shoulder while dropping to his side, snuggling to take a look at the book on Changmin's lap.

"Photo album?"

"They are photos from my teenage days."

Just at the exact a moment, a photo caught his attention. Yunho immediately take the album closer to him and smiles happily at the familiar face from the past.

"Look at you here, you were painfully adorable. Tell me how can I be so lucky to have you in my arm right now?"

He looks at the man in his embrace and grins even wider at the blush high on his cheeks. Let it be 10, 20, 30 years or for eternity to come, he will never get tired of the sight. Despite his flushed face, Changmin tries his best to give him a bemused glare.

"Tell me that again when you didn't make me chase after you. I think it's me who has all the luck to keep you to myself from all those fangirls - and fanboys - of yours."

His partner is also not one that forgets easily, but he wouldn't trade it for anything. He can handle the snide remark every now and then rather than losing the love of his life, no matter how many times his friends make fun of his infatuation.

"Tell that to Donghae. I'm sure we'll hear he spills another story on how he - still - feels betrayed on the actual reason I have a sudden interest in his club."

***

"Hey."

The hallway is crowded with the first year students who is heading to their classes after the completion of entrance ceremony. He is assigned in the same class as his best friend, Kyuhyun, so they stick together to find their way to the classroom.

"Hey, tall kid from Class 1."

Changmin stops in his track to turn around, having a bad premonition that he is the one whoever the owner of that voice is referring to. Just as he expected, an older boy smiles at him as he looks at him.

"Who is he?"

"How should I know? It's our first day!"

Before he and Kyuhyun can continue their bickering, the senior is already in front of him. He proudly holds out a MP3 player Changmin hasn't seen for around two months, a few weeks too long for him. He has assumed that he would no longer see it again.

"Why is my player in your hand?"

Changmin has blurted out bluntly but he receives another smile for that causing him to internally frown - too afraid to display his displeasure on the very first day to a stranger.

"You dropped it in front of the gate when you were here for the entrance exam but I didn't get to return it to you that day. It's good thing you got accepted here."

"Thank you. It's my luck that you can still remember me, it's been quite some times."

Another smile. Changmin is sure for that short minutes the other boy has smiled to a stranger more than he would smile to even a classmates in a week.

"Your looks left quite an impression so it helps a lot, especially the eyes and ears."

His hands cover both of his ears, like a reflex. Ever since he was a kid, he often got teased for them that he still couldn't shed the insecurity especially when someone points out his ears. The boy seems surprised at his reaction and almost immediately there is a look of understanding taking place on his face.

"No, I didn't mean it in a bad way. They're cute, in a good way of course."

It makes he covers them even more, doubting the sincerity of the unforeseen compliment which makes the older boy looks more lost than earlier. They didn't get to talk further when suddenly a teacher calls them out from behind.

"Jung Yunho, what are you doing here? Your class is upstairs. Aren't you supposed to get going now before you become even more late than you already is?"

Jung Yunho, slowly turns around with the most innocent face, with his eyes widen to enhance the effect, bows at the middle-aged woman to admit his fault. The teacher is willing to let him go when he doesn't try to make any excuses for his mistake.

Before he leaves, Yunho takes Changmin's wrist, whose hands is now already lowered to his sides, to place the MP3 in his smaller palm.

"I mean it, sorry if you thought I'm making fun of you."

With that, he retreats to the stairs and disappears from their sights. Both of them scurried away and immediately rush into their classroom when the teacher's attention is directed at them.

"Hey, Chwang, you really got a senior called your ears cute on your first day here."

"Shut up, Cho."

***

They have just settled in nicely with their life as high school students. In fact, both of them have signed up for a club right on the last day of registration day.

"Welcome to our modest club room and its members here."

There is a few fellow students, a lot fewer than Changmin has expected, already waiting inside. Kyuhyun is fast to vocalise the thought.

"Seems like there isn't much members in this club."

He steps on Kyuhyun's foot to shut him up. Their club president doesn't take it to heart, instead he only laughs at the statement.

"Yeah, most want to join the club because they thought guys who play music can easily make the girls fall for them. After they found out it's harder than they thought to play all these instruments, they either quit the club or become inactive member."

Few other first year students around them starts to nod with a uncomfortable reaction. For Changmin, he joins the club purely for his interests in music so he doesn't have any thoughts on quitting even when it gets harder later.

"Well, don't worry kids. I won't stop anyone from leaving if you no longer wants to stay. Let's just have fun while we're in the club, okay?"

All of freshmen tries to reciprocate with the senior student's1 enthusiasm when suddenly someone barged into the room.

"Donghae, have you seen my water bottle?"

Kyuhyun nudges at Changmin when they see Yunho casually interrupts their meeting to talk to their president.

"Didn't you already put it into your bag when the class end?"

"Well, it's clearly no longer there when I checked my bag. That's why I'm here now."

"Gotta be one of your fans doing. That's already the second one, and we barely starts this semester."

Yunho is a moment away from groaning to exit the room, as fast as he came in, when he notices Changmin.

"You're a member of this club?"

Now even Donghae is looking at him, brows shot high. Changmin wants to step backwards to hide from the interested stares from the others in the room but Kyuhyun immediately holds his arm to make him stay in place. Sometimes he thinks that Kyuhyun just enjoys to see him suffer.

"Yes, we just joined the club today."

Yunho looks excited at the answer and whispers something to Donghae while pointing out at him.

"So you're _Bambi_ \- oww!!"

Donghae is already jumping with one leg while raising his other foot in pain.

"Sorry about that, please continue whatever you guys were doing. See you after clubs, Donghae."

They are left with a still crouching-in-pain Donghae with the rests of seniors smirks at his misery.

"Huh, just for your information, that person just now is one of the reason our club isn't the place if you want to be get all the attention. Their club is the one where the girls flock to."

***

Football club.

The members are still practising when Changmin and Kyuhyun walk past the field. Their - or rather Yunho's - popularity is very obvious with the amount of students watching at the sides. There's a squeal from several directions everytime Yunho receives the ball from his teammates but it doesn't seem to break his focus.

"That explains his confident aura."

"That doesn't seem comfortable at all if you ask me."

They are watching the game with one hand holding their bag on their shoulder, like a twin with their matching expression.

"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you don't envy all those fans. I think it could be a registered as an official club activ because their members are obviously more than ours."

Most of the girls are holding banners with Yunho's name on it, and a few other name among it - probably his teammates'. Changmin could swear he can even see a few boys staring at the field in adoration among all the girls.

"I'm sure we can attract that kind of attention too when our club held performances later. It's high school, Kyu, let's aim for the best university while living our teenage years to the fullest."

The cheers are more like continuous screams this time, and it's all because Yunho has scored a goal. For a practice. He is now surrounded by his sides of team. In the midst of that, their eyes met and Yunho waves at his direction slightly with his signature puppy grin.

The girls on the same side as him squeals and they are arguing on who Yunho is waving to.

"I think he just waved at you."

"Nah, can't be."

***

Months later, it is finally his first participation in school festival as a high school student. He has practised for it almost everyday to make sure he doesn't mess up during the performance.

Changmin has opted to play the guitar even when he got the voice to be the main singer. He is more comfortable being at the side or the background with the instrument rather than being in the spotlight. Instead, other than the senior member, Kyuhyun has been chosen to perform one song, adding to their anticipation for the big day.

During the whole time they were preparing for the show, the football team is also preparing for their upcoming tournament so they always stay back at school together.

Before practice start, Yunho always hang around at their club room to meet Donghae which caused them to become familiar with each other. Sometimes Yunho would request some songs from him which he always end up playing for him no matter how much he complains about it.

On the day of the performance, he can see a small crowd gathering in front of the stage which isn't doing any good to his nerve.

" _Changminnie_!"

Yunho is at the backstage, dressed in his captain jersey which also served as his costume for the day.

"Hyung, aren't you supposed to be at your club's booth right now?"

"I ask for a 'toilet break' to watch you performing. You are up next, right?"

It triggers his anxiety even more that Yunho has come specifically for him. Changmin really couldn't stand the thought of the possibility on messing up on stage cause he wouldn't know how to handle it.

"I'm nervous. I don't know why did I agree to do this."

Yunho pulls one of his hand that is supporting his guitar and put something in his palm. A miniature of the team's shirt with number 6 on it along with Yunho's name.

"Take this. It's selling like a hotcakes so I hope it can be your lucky charm."

"I don't think it works that way, hyung."

"Changmin, get ready. It's your turn after this song."

Changmin holds the gift tightly in his hand at the announcement. He looks at Yunho who is staring at him.

"You gonna be amazing. I'll leave now cause I need to make my way to be at the front row."

"Hyung."

He can't ask for Donghae's help right now because the boy is currently on stage which leaves Yunho as his only support.

"Trust me, it will be okay. If you're too nervous, just look at me. I'll make sure to get a spot the closest to your side."

Once he stands on the stage, Changmin finds himself liking the rush that comes along from standing in front a lot of strangers. His eyes search for Yunho and when he found him, he can see Yunho is already cheering energetically for them which hypes the crowd even more.

He is disappointed when the performance ends because his time on stage is over just like that. From the small distance between them, when he's already turning away to leave the stage, he hears his name being shouted in the midst of other noises.

"Changmin-ah!"

Changmin hides his grin behind his palm when he notices Yunho is giving him two thumbs up, with his hand being reached out as far as he could. Just as he is about to return to backstage, he can see from his peripheral view a few girls and boys from his year is already swarming at Yunho. He rushes his way back to avoid such sight.

At the end of the day, everyone has went home when Changmin returns to the club room, coming back to pick up something he left behind. He is looking through the stack of music sheets when he found the little gift he has left earlier. He is about to leave when Yunho and Donghae enters the room.

"I'm thankful that you happily share with my clubs all these gifts but you should stop accepting them if you don't want to give those girls false hopes."

"I already tell them multiple times but they still leave these things on my desk, it's a hassle - oh, Changminnie, you're still here?"

Changmin is still caught in the end even when he tries his best to sneak out without them noticing his presence. His crouching position makes both boys look at him funnily.

"I came back to collect something. Well, I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation - no, I mean, I didn't hear anything - "

He stops when Yunho waves his hand with a light chuckle, dismissing his apology.

"Donghae, can I speak with Changmin for a moment here?"

"Wow, he even makes me leave my own club room now."

Despite his grumbling, Donghae still steps out to leave giving them privacy.

"You did a good job today, Changminnie!"

Out of habit, Changmin cover his ears because he know they will turn red even at the slightest hint of embarrassment.

"Thank you. Also thank you for coming to watch me on stage."

Changmin is startled when he is suddenly pulled into a side hug, patting Yunho's back several times to return the affection as best as he could.

"Don't worry, that's what friends are for right?"

"Yeah, right."

Changmin wishes he brought Kyuhyun along when he turned back earlier because Yunho already seated him on one of the chairs. There is a mischievous glint in his eyes before he pulls a nearby chair.

"So, can I have you sing for me today? I deserve at least one song for my effort today, shouldn't I?"

Yunho gives him his best puppy face, completes with both hands clasped in front of his chest. Changmin hunches and hold his stomach while laughing before raising his head slightly.

"You have an ulterior motive, afterall, _sunbae_."

"I did it sincerely but I'm also good at taking chances when I see one. Since there's no one else but us right now, I want to hear you sing something."

While stifling his giggles, Changmin leaves the chair to take the guitar out of its case and returns to the seat with a soft smile.

"Points taken. Any song of choice?"

***

"What's with those players? They have locked hyung as their target since the first second the game started."

Among all the other students, Changmin and Kyuhyun is among the first year who managed to push through others to be at the front row for the final match. Their school team is meeting last year's runner up, who seems eager to bring back the trophy this time around.

"Well, everyone have their own strategy and since Yunho hyung is the key player, I guess it's a smart move."

In normal situations, he would a start a round of debate with Kyuhyun for that but he is shocked to see the rival team defender tackles Yunho to the ground in his effort to block another attack.

There is shout of cries from their school's supporters at the scene with players from both team is already quarrelling and pushing each other. Yunho is still on the ground with the medic team running to attend him.

Changmin anxiously tries to take a closer look before Kyuhyun tugs his arm to stop him from leaving.

"Judging from your face you're 5 seconds away from jumping into the field yourself but you better stay before someone else steals your seat."

He is still standing on his toes trying to peek at the situation on the field. Kyuhyun has to exert more force to pull him back to the seat for that.

"He's not badly injured I think. They're gonna resume the match with him still on the field."

"Don't you know him by now? He better make sure his bones are still intact by the end of this match!"

Those words are spoken with quite a fury but Changmin's eyes are glued on whatever direction Yunho is running to. It is only by the 89th minute Yunho manages to score the winning goal after receiving a long pass from his teammate and outrun all the opponent team's defenders.

It is also the goal that secures their title as defending champion. He breathes a sigh of relief when the sound of whistle marks the end of the match.

As Yunho is among the few third year players who is still playing for the team, he is celebrated by all his juniors and coaches. He has just done greeting the rival players when he runs to the audience stand. He stops right a few metres away in front of Changmin and shouts a 'thank you' while looking directly at him.

Changmin stays in his seat when the others take it as invitation and runs down to congratulate Yunho and take pictures with him.

"Aren't you going to see him?"

"Of course... but not now. Later."

'Later' is waiting for Yunho at his bus stop. 'Later' is receiving Yunho's bright smile without the others trying to crush him down. 'Later' is them laughing trying to catch the last bus to go home.

***

Season of meeting and separations.

The flowers are starting to boast their colours but it still can't soothe him.

He's been waiting for the chance to talk to Yunho but it seems like there is endless other fellow seniors - and juniors - swarming around him.

Changmin steps out from his waiting spot and only stares at the joyous faces from afar. Finally, he decides to walk away without approaching them because other than Yunho, he doesn't know most of the people around him.

'This is it.'

"Hey!"

He is just about to leave the school ground when Yunho blocks him. He is panting a little and tries to catch his breath while Changmin is still looking dumbfounded at his sudden appearance.

"It's my last day here. Are you going to leave without saying words of farewell to me?"

"There were too many people around you so I couldn't do it. I don't have any farewell words for you though."

Now properly standing to face each other, he can feel another pang of sadness of letting go. His new school term would be Yunho-less after this day.

Funny how they only know each other for one whole school year but Changmin already forgot how it was before they met.

"Good! I'm happy we're on the same page. The day isn't over yet but I already miss playing with you at school."

"That's already a wrong reason but good to know that."

They stand in silence after that. They don't know how often they could meet after this when they no longer share a common ground. Yunho also would no doubt become occupied with his new life as a university student.

"Hyung, I'm really good at sticking myself into people's life. You really won't see the last of me today, I mean it."

***

"I can't believe even after I got into the same university as you, it still took over a year for you to make a move."

They are looking at Changmin's picture during his last day as a high school student. Yunho coos at him while comparing it with his present looks.

"You were really good at being discreet. You can't expect me to randomly confess like a creep, right?"

Changmin closes the photo album and turns to his face to the side to bit lightly on Yunho's shoulder. The man doesn't even flinch. Instead he squished Changmin's cheek until Changmin released him and swats his hand away.

"No, you're not a creep. You're just blind. Your friends knew about my crush on you way earlier that I almost had assumed you were rejecting me in a subtle way."

" _Never_."

Yunho lets his arm wraps around Changmin's body, fingers stroking his boyfriend's biceps lightly.

"Everyone with eyes would see how special you were - and still are - to me. You were so young, how could I bear to take advantage of that."

"Two years. I'm only two years younger."

Cradling Changmin's unimpressed face in both of his hand, Yunho gives him several pecks on the lips until he closes his eyes with a pleased smile on the lips.

"You are the most precious to me, always remember that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *EDIT   
> I rarely do edit on my notes BUT I just want to share an amazing futuristic fic I just read  
> 'The Dragon and The Phoenix' by amagiri
> 
> It was published on 2013 but it doesn't feel outdated. It feels like I'm watching a Hollywood movie in my mind while reading it - I love it ! Wherever amagiri-san is, I hope he/she is still in our fandom.*
> 
> Okay, I admit it is a real mess. I saw a very nice fanart that makes me wanna write this high school thing but yeah, it ends up like this.
> 
> a friend suggests one fic to me and I like the melancholic tone used in it  
> 'Like the rain in June' by hydrofloride
> 
> it's cherry blossom season but I don't like it as much now :( it will also be a very busy month for me ><
> 
> Let's hope there will be tour announcements on the last day of fanmeeting 😔


	14. arc #14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick update. Happy Children's Day everyone 🎏  
> Spoiler: I'm not that good with kids so bear with my lack of depth (there's also my lack of time but hey, that's life right ^^)

"Seol !"

Changmin looks at the pillows and dolls on the floor and taps his foot impatiently waiting for the owner of the name to show up. Finally, a girl with half tied pigtail, with half of her hair doing a great impersonation of bird nest, peeks her head into the room.

"Yes?"

"Mind explaining what happened here, young lady?"

Her large round eyes scans the room before grinning sheepishly at him. He raised a brow waiting for her explanation, trying his best to look serious in front of the angelic face.

"Sorry. I got hungry while playing."

His walls break without her needing to do anything special. Changmin never stand a chance with her since the first day anyway so he gives a defeated sigh before taking her into his arms. With her short arms loops around his neck, he closes the bedroom door and carries the little girl to the kitchen.

He has to take another deep breath at the sight greeting him there. One of the stuffed dolls, which used to look as white as snow, now looks like it has been dropped on wet soil.

"Shiro!"

Seol excited voice rings in his ear and he lowers he to the ground for her to run and hug the doll. He winced when he saw the chocolate has smeared her dress when she hold it close to her.

Turning to the culprit at the head of the table, he calmly takes the nearest chair and snatches the spoon from the other man's hand.

"I think we need to change Shiro name after this right, hyung?"

Yunho smiles affectionately at Seol who is busy 'feeding' the average sized bear, causing more damage to it. Before he gives an answer, another voice chirps in stealing their attention.

"Daddy, can we call him Choco after this?"

Yunho moves his chair backward, to give some space to the boy who is trying to climb on his laps, his airplane toy never leaving his little fist. Seeing his struggle, Yunho offers his help and in no time, the boy joins them at the table and points excitedly at Shiro.

"Can we change Shiro's name?"

"No!"

Seol rejects the idea and glares at him for suggesting it. The boy, Joon, sticks out his tongue at her causing both of them to bicker. Changmin moves to Seol's side and rubs her head to calm her down while Yunho tries to stop Joon.

"Joon, what did I say about fighting with each other?"

"She never let me play with Shiro!"

At his side, Changmin tries to coax Seol to apologise to her brother, and quickly realised his shirt has also been dirtied by the doll's face and grimace at his mark on his white shirt. From his peripheral view, he can see that Yunho has noticed his misery and sneakily laugh at him. 

"Don't you have many other toys, it's okay if Joon wants to name this one right?"

"Choco sounds too girly, Shiro is a boy!"

"It has a gender?"

Yunho is perplexed at the discovery, or whatever logic that is flying around the table. He looks at Changmin, Seol and Shiro before turning back to Joon.

"That's not the point. Didn't we always remind you to share?"

Now Seol looks guiltily at the toy in her hand and hugs Changmin as a form of apology. Changmin pats her back and kiss the top of her head. Suddenly he feels someone tugs at his shirt and looks down to see Joon wants to reach out for Seol. Whispering to the little girl, he points at Joon and Seol nods understandingly at whatever he is saying. Not long after that, their house is once again being filled with their voices.

"You're the best, Changdol. You're the best partner one could ever have."

Yunho nudges him by the shoulder when they watch the kids running around, their earlier fight already forgotten.

"What would you do without me? Now, may I know what did you do to her hair and how did Shiro turns out like that?"

"Doing braids is harder than I thought, I must say you make it looks easy. And when she told me she wanted to eat cake, I didn't expect she was asking for both her and Shiro. I swear I only looked away for a second!"

Yunho pulls Changmin to his chest, trying to put on his best puppy eyes to convince him. In the end, he only got a slight shove on the chest but Changmin doesn't push him away so he assumes it's all good between them.

***

"Have they both gone to bed?"

Yunho gently close the door behind him and nods before helping his husband collecting the scattering puzzles on the floor. He checks carefully under the couch to make sure there's no missing piece before placing the box under their coffee table.

"Isn't it too early to let them play with this?"

"They're turning 4 in few more months, it's good for them to recognise and learn to arrange and match puzzles."

He accidentally found one of Changmin's notes under the table, seemingly end up there without his knowledge. He shows it to the younger man which cause him to sigh once again that day.

"They really like to play with this when I specifically told them not to."

"They're kids, it's normal for them to get curious about it. Who knows if we have another good songwriter in the making in this house?"

Changmin smiles a little at the thought though he knows they're still too young for them to decide their future. Both he and Yunho has always taken the stand that as long as the kids grow up healthy and have good moral, they're content as is.

"Hard to tell since they are at the age when they're still too playful. Also, haven't we agreed on stop doing the baby talk to them?"

"It automatically comes out, they're too adorable!"

"I know, but they rarely get exposure to the language other than from us. Once they start going to school later, it will be harder to teach them to speak in Korean and I'll make sure you answer to our parents if that happens, hyung."

The 'okay, Changminnie' with his trademark pout caused Changmin to huff fondly at him. Yunho is always quick at trying to soothe him at anything, though whether he would actually remember to do so is another story.

"I got a text from Youngjin hyung this morning and he praised you a lot, you know. He said the latest song you wrote is really great and he can't wait to release it once he found the right person to sing it."

Just as he expected, Changmin turns red at the the compliment. Years being together, he still think it is one of the most adorable thing in the whole wide world. He is no stranger to beauties as his jobs required them to interact with a whole load of such kind but he has his eyes only for one person causing him to be oblivious to countless advancements from others.

"Youngjin hyung is just being nice."

Smooth as he always is, in no time Yunho already got him in his embrace from behind and he rests his his head on Changmin's shoulder, enjoying the feeling of having him in his hold.

"I know how good it is even without him telling me so, Changdol. I'm the first person who you showed the demo, remember?"

Changmin turns his head to the side and tries not to look swoon from the small distance between their faces.

"You're my best supporter, of course I should at least let you listen to it first."

Unable to contain his giddiness at those words, Yunho quickly steals a kiss on his cheek, before tightening the hug.

"How can I be so lucky?"

"Guess I'm luckier because you happen to be my missing puzzle piece."

***

"Papa, I wanna ride that mini boat!"

"No, let's go play that car first!"

Their little family finally get to spend a whole day going out together now that Yunho is finally free from his job. It's one of the biggest tour he ever directed and he is satisfied with the outcome but most importantly, he is glad to be with the most precious people for him.

"Joon, Seol, don't run around. We have whole day to try everything, no need to rush."

"Promise?"

Yunho is crouching to level with the twin, with Changmin besides him doing the same, both stares at them with question mark at the quiet query.

"What do you mean, Joon?"

Changmin gently fixes the boy's shirt while trying to make him talk more.

"You and daddy not going to work after this right?"

It's Seol who completes her brother's word for him causing their parents to both hug them, feeling a little guilty for spending too much time on work sometimes.

"Promise, papa and I are gonna let you play all you want today, 'kay?"

They look at at Changmin for confirmation and cheer at the assuring smile they receive. Each of them hold their dads' hands respectively and eagerly pull them along to the various little rides at the park.

Hours gone in a what feels like seconds and by the time they're finally stopping for snack, Changmin is slouching on the chair.

"What are they so energetic for?"

During their dating period he went on dates to amusement parks a few times together with Yunho and he's aware of his excitement at such places. Now it feels like he has three Yunhos that he needs to keep in line and it drains his energy much faster.

"Papa, here, daddy got a burger and fries for you."

"Thank you, Joon. Where are daddy and Seol?"

"Seol wants ice cream."

Changmin immediately reaches out for Seol's bag that he has placed on the table for towel, knowing that if he doesn't prepare now it would be too late. From the distance, he can see Yunho walks with her hand in hand with both of them have an ice cream each in their hand. He can't help but smile looking at them. 

"Hey, would you like anything else to drink? I only got sodas for us."

"That's good enough. Seol, come here, let me wipe your mouth."

Seol shoves her face to him and he carefully wipes her mouth and cheek which are already smudged by the strawberry ice cream. 

"Daddy, can I get some ketchup?"

"Sure, let me go with you."

"I can go with him, hyung."

"It's okay, just sit here with Seol. I can't guarantee she won't dirty her shirts if you left her with me."

When Yunho leaves with Joon, Changmin pulls her chair closer to Seol and take meticulous care to make sure the ice cream doesn't drip to her clothes.

"Do you want ice cream?"

He takes a bite of the ice cream at the offer and having Seol giggles at him for making funny faces at her. They finish the ice cream together, taking turn at taking bites and he's proud that he manages to keep her clothes clean until the end.

"Here I got extra ketchup for you, papa."

Joon runs toward their table with ketchup spread in paper container in his hand. He takes it from him and places it on the table before ruffling his hair.

"Thank you, little guy."

"Daddy helped me to reach the pump."

Raising his head, he sees Yunho walking towards them with box of ketchup on each palm, smiling brilliantly at them.

"Of course, he did. Thank you, Yunho."

Once he got to the table, he pats Changmin on the head before helping Joon to unwrap his hotdog.

***

"Are you happy here?"

"Undoubtedly."

On the mat, he sits with his younger sister who has came there to visit them for the week. They're watching Yunho playing catch with the kids using frisbee and some of the older kids are starting to join them.

"Then, that's what matters the most. Mom said they will come again during their birthdays."

"Yunho's parents also said they will come around that time. The kids would be happy to see them."

Seol comes to approach them to ask him to tie her hair, which Sooyeon helpfully offers to do it for her. After she got her hair done, she runs back to join the team.

"They're not biologically related to both of you, but probably because they've been with you guys since they are babies, they started to share resemblance wih you two."

"Really? I don't really notice it since I see them daily."

"Yeah, they also seems to have taken Yunho's and your personalities."

Both him and Yunho used to be nervous to have additional members to their family, but now they're immensely happy though they're living far away from their home country. They found a new home for themselves at the little corner of this country that is famous for its windmills. 

Both of their families would take turn to visit them here but they would still come back once a year to them even though only for a few days. Though among their own families is fine, he hates it when their children got side eyed by some of those nosy relatives of theirs who purposely show up during their visits. They are those who fast to claim as their families when they were widely known celebrities but quick to distance themselves when they reveal their relationships.

Now, both of them still stay in their line of work though they mostly handle it from afar. It's a win-win for them and their companies so they prefer to keep it that way.

Yunho finally joins them and drinks the water from one of the bottle, which happens to be Changmin's.

"Did they finally defeat you?"

Sooyeon teased her brother-in-law, though she's quite sure it would be impossible for him to admit defeat. She's always been close to Yunho especially since she's among the first who knows the nature of their relationship back then.

"Not really, but I think I need to break a news to Changmin."

"What is it now?"

He quickly searches for the kids and once he saw they are playing just fine he questioningly raise a brow at Yunho.

"What do you think about puppy?"

"Huh?"

"I saw Joon keeps staring at one of the family's dog over there and I just want to make sure if you're okay with it."

Changmin snaps his head at the dog in question and coincidentally the dog is looking at his direction while wagging his tail. Suddenly he can foresee his future and her sister laughs heartily at the dawning horror on his face.

"Congratulations, oppa. Seems like you're going to have new family member soon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just feel like I need to write note as backstory cause I was writing this in a rush. Well, both of them are in showbiz in this arc but now they work as stage/concert director and songwriter respectively (they're still considered as celebrities but keeping low profile since they're living oversea).
> 
> Joon is the older brother and both of them are twins. About their personalities, Joon is more observant and calm though he can still throw tantrum like in the first scene. Seol is more active and brave with words. Well, just to make it clear since I don't think I did them justice.
> 
> Also, I think next update could be longer since I already have scenes in mind. And I'm thinking about editing some of the mistakes in the past chapters (slowly but surely).
> 
> ps : Congratulations Yunho on his upcoming album 💖 though I'm still waiting for duo comeback but it's still achievement for him so good luck ! I hope by the end of the year there would be another dome tour so a summer single or one around October/November should be fine ^^


	15. arc #15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Practically got this idea after rewatching their cooking mission from 2014. Their interaction as sensei(instructor?) and assistant is VERY adorable~ ^^ Yunho calling Changmin sensei is so lovely, he's like a kid when he got the assistant role.

"So what time the new guy should be here?"

"I told him to come at 4 so it's any minutes now."

"How long do you think he's gonna last? The last one disappears barely a week in."

"I was there when Chilhyun interviewed him. I can assure you he would be a great help to the team. It doesn't hurt the fact that his visual is very pleasing to the eyes."

"Let's hope he looks good enough to attract enough customers because it doesn't seem like we're doing that good though we've been operating for few months now."

"Cut the pessimism Shim Changmin and maybe we might start getting customer."

The three of them is chatting at the small corners with their hands busy doing all the work. Except for Heechul, as he's the head waiter there. Kyuhyun and Changmin, though they're being engaged into conversation with him, are both very good at focusing at more than one thing at a time.

Suddenly there's a crash at the other end of the kitchen. Heechul rushes there immediately but Changmin merely tries to take a peek before continue to stir the pot.

"Let's see what happen there."

"And risk ruining the taste of this roux? Heechul will come to inform us if it's something serious."

Despite still feeling curious, Kyuhyun in the end stays at his spot and convinced with the logic. Afterall, they work in the kitchen and there tends to be loud noises at unexpected times so there's not much for them to worry.

***

He has just returned from the break when he saw someone lingering at his station, moving things on the counter. Increasing his speed, he snatched the ladle from the person which caused him to gasp.

"Sorry!"

The brightest pair of pitch black pupils he's ever seen is staring back at him. Changmin almost feels bad when he sees the eyes widen in shock at his sudden intrusion but he keeps his face stoic.

"Who are you?"

"Yunho. Well, I'm new here. There isn't much to attend to outside and I'll only officially start tomorrow so I went here to look around, sorry."

The only indication that he acknowledged the apology is his quiet humming. Changmin tidies up the station to avoid further conversation but it seems that Yunho doesn't get the clue as he continue to linger around watching him.

"If you want to ask anything about work I think Heechul would be a better person for you to ask for help, though he's not that helpful most of the time."

When there's no response, Changmin turns to look at him and see Yunho is still watching interestedly at his station. Only when he has realised that he has left Changmin hanging did he quickly shakes his head.

"I'm clear with everything so far. I just think it's fascinating how neat you are at doing the cleaning."

Changmin stares at him in dumbfounded expression at the misplaced admiration. He isn't sure how he's supposed to react to it. Thankfully Kyuhyun joins them just in time to help him escape the awkwardness.

"Hyung, Heechul hyung wants you to come to the office to get the uniform."

"Sure, thanks Kyuhyun. I'll see you two around."

Just as Yunho turns to leave them, Changmin mouths the word 'hyung' with exaggerated disbelief to Kyuhyun.

"Yeah, I met him when I went to check the baked goods. Apparently the crash we heard earlier was because he stumble on the trolley at the back. He's really nice though a bit clumsy, so far everyone who has met him thinks so, too. You can try befriend him too, Chwang. Maybe the optimism will rub off."

"As if."

He isn't sure about the idea but he'll put the man down as bizarre for now.

***

During the next day, he has just done with preparation before their opening hour when he comes to the back room to see a commotion in there. Even with his heights, he can't see what everyone is bustling about but he can hear Heechul's voice from all the excited titters and gasps.

"Excellent! Marvelous! Gorgeous!"

Changmin rolls his eyes at Heechul's tendencies to exaggerate and overdramatize small matter. He steps aside when the little crowd parts to create space in the middle.

"Ladies and gentlemen, meet our waiter, Jung Yunho!" 

In front him now is not the man with boyish image in hoodie he met yesterday. Standing tall in his polished shoes, hair slick back, his uniform - white shirt, black pants with vest in the same colour, complete with black bowtie - fits at the right place highlighting his long legs, he almost couldn't tell it is the same person until the darks eyes look like they twinkle when they met eyes eyes.

"Hello, it's you again!"

"Yunho, has you met Changmin?"

Yunho's eyes left him to look at Heechul to nod enthusiastically at him.

"Yes, I met him at the kitchen yesterday, but I didn't get to know his name at the time."

Hand still clasps on Yunho's shoulder, Heechul gestures at Changmin with his other free hand.

"He's Shim Changmin, our trusted saucier - dare I say the best in town. Don't be fooled by his look, he's rather grumpy but quite kind if you ask him nicely."

Changmin's left eye twitch at the description, not for long as he is distracted with sudden hand offered to him. 

"Handshake? I'll look forward to be working with you."

The way Yunho asks for it sounds like a spell to him that he unconsciously extends his own hand and grips it tightly. 

"Great. I hope everyone get along well. Yunho, let's make a debut out there."

***

Just two weeks in they can already see changes in the pattern of their customers. Before, though they have lesser customers, they usually come in as dates, friendly meet up or business discussions. Now, their customers not only keep increasing day by day, the discrepancy between the genders has also become more obvious.

Their female customers prefer to come in small group, usually 3 to 5 people, and the age range has also widen significantly. Heechul's smile keep getting wider that Kyuhyun said he fears that he might rip his mouth if they got even more customer.

Naturally the kitchen would get even busier with increasing order that it is livelier with the chefs runs around to keep their stations in check. They never feel like they're lacking in kitchen porters before but even the sous chef starts complaining that they need extra hands in the kitchen.

It's the weekend. Changmin has just put on his uniform when Yunho comes into the room. Few other waiters that is still changing happily greet him before he can reach his locker, which is a few doors away from Changmin's.

"Cheer up, chef. It's the end of our week today, let's recharge well on Sunday and Monday. Heechul hyung told me there usually isn't much customers when I applied for the position which makes ne wonder what is his standard for 'much customers'."

He missed the times where the restaurant can barely get half full on Friday's night, not that he can say it aloud if he still wants to keep the job.

"Yunho hyung, can you suggest more fried items instead of grilled ones today? I think I've cooked a week worth dishes last night."

Kyuhyun calls out from the back, looking almost traumatised recalling the havoc from all the different menus he had to prepare.

"Noted Kyuhyunnie, though I can't promise you anything. I usually give suggestions based on customers' liking or requests."

"How do you know their liking during that few minutes?"

Changmin is perplexed at the revelation. He has vague idea on how the front line functions but knowing ones liking when they only need to take order is something he didn't expect.

"Sometimes the customer like to talk about the tastes the want so I just make random assumptions and give suggestions based on that."

"I don't know whether he makes it easier or harder for me. Two days ago, one customer called me unattentive and request for Yunho hyung. I mean, is this host club? How much attention does HE needs when making an order?"

Yunho is visibly flustered at the comparison causing Changmin to almost feels bad at him. Though they're working at different departments, they often hear waiters and waitresses complain about difficult customers. 

"Maybe he's not familiar with the menu? Few days ago, when I first served him, he said it was his first time coming here."

His confession triggered some wolf-whistling from others inside the room. 

"Wow, Yunho. A returning customer, not bad for a newbie. But why does this sound so wrong though?"

Yunho's reaction incited more teasing from the guys. Changmin doesn't really join them but he thinks his struggle to tell them off is quite adorable, though he is sort of annoyed with the joke.

Before they start heading to their own post, Changmin tugs on his arm a bit to get his attention.

"You know that you can always tell Heechul if there's customer that bothers you, right?"

At first Yunho looks confused but it doesn't take long before he gets the meaning. 

"There's really nothing like that so far but thank you, I'd keep it in mind!"

The way Yunho lights up at such simple thing makes him starts to worry, not for the man but for himself.

***

Monday rolls around and it takes an empty fridge for Changmin to step out from house. He hoped to spend his days off laying around on bed without going out but he doesn't think he could survive without meal until going for work on the next day. 

After listing down all the thing he would need, he makes a quick trip to that one hypermarket he frequents two blocks away. It is when he got lost in thought in front of the wide selection of beers that his shopping cart accidentally hits another person.

"Sorry, I didn't see - you?"

Yunho is still rubbing the back of his leg when he notices the offender. 

"You shop here too, Changminnie?"

He would roll his eyes at the question, given how he clearly is inside the store with half filled cart. Not this time. He couldn't do it when he see how excited Yunho looks at the coincidence.

"Yes, I live nearby so I often go here. What about you?"

"I just got a place near here so I thought of stopping by here to stock up the food."

Glancing at the basket he's holding, Changmin frowns at the amount of instant ramen and boxes of milks of different flavours piling in it. The healthiest thing he can spot is two containers of strawberries.

"I hope you actually have another basket or cart with real food, Yunho hyung?"

Yunho tilts his head at the question. Changmin has taken notice of this habit of his, where he would tilt his head whenever he is confused instead of directly asking for people to explain it. It's silly but endearing at the same time.

"I think this is enough food though? I'm thinking to grab some beers as well but that's it."

"Do you have taste buds of 8 years old? Don't tell me you're living off these cause it is really unhealthy."

It is only after the words are out that he thought it might sound rude since they're not that close. Comparing to Kyuhyun who also works in the kitchen with him, he rarely speaks to Yunho. 

"Don't worry, I don't eat like this all the time. I often have take-out or just drop by at my family's home to get homemade meal."

"Who says I'm worry though, I'm merely pointing it out."

It is safe to assume Yunho doesn't mind much with his casualness as he isn't fazed with it. Instead he also peeks into his cart and nods at his choices of mostly ingredients based items.

"You also cook at home?"

"Yes, it's more satisfying and I can adjust the portion to my liking. You should try it too rather than eating - that."

It cause Yunho smile sheepishly while brushing his hair from falling into his eyes. Changmin is fascinated that he could switch back to his initial boyish look especially with such simple gesture.

"About that, I'm not really gifted in that area. In fact, according to my dad, I'm horrible that all my attempts were so ridiculous. Thanks but no thanks for the suggestion."

Though without interacting much, he often observes the older - which he told Kyuhyun it is what he did to everyone- and he knows he is passionate in everything he does. It's how he charms all his fellow waiters and waitresses, where everyone already look at him with adoration at the end of his first day.

"It's not that hard if you have the will to learn. As long as you follow the recipe, the taste won't differ much."

Changmin hopes it doesn't sound like an offer but when there isn't any reaction from Yunho, he changes his mind.

"I'm working in the kitchen anyway. If you want, I can teach you to make simple recipe. How about that?"

At first Yunho only looks at him hesitantly before he excitedly nods in agreement. He does seems happy with the idea but there's still the doubtful look in his eyes.

"If you insist, I'll gratefully accept the offer. Let me warn you that I'm really bad at it - like real bad."

"How bad can you be, anyway."

***

It's a disaster. He invites Yunho for the cooking on the next Sunday and he can't understand how a person managed to create such mess.

"Hyung, you aren't supposed to leave this just anywhere!"

"Changmin, how to turn this off?"

"Why did you stop stirring?!"

They survive the cooking part and safely serve the dishes for their lunch. It isn't exactly a beautiful sight and Changmin takes an even deeper breath at the state of his kitchen.

"I'll do the cleaning later. Now, we should taste the food, shouldn't we?"

They're sitting facing each other and Yunho wait expectantly for Changmin to take the first bite of what's supposed to be spaghetti aglio e olio, something that Changmin thought as easy enough to let Yunho handled by himself.

The colour is slightly off and it looks like it is covered by a little too much parsley but he got a hold on himself to bring it into his mouth.

"So?"

Changmin has expected the worst and thought on how to give a response without hurting the other guy. Surprisingly, the taste is rather good compare to how the visual. He takes another bite to confirm it is not just his mind deluding him.

"It's quite good actually, you should have a taste yourself."

Yunho looks dubious at comment and take a small bite himself.

"Oh?"

"It's good isn't it?"

"This is the most edible stuff I ever made! You didn't tamper with it right?"

Funnily Changmin is even happier seeing the smile on Yunho's face at the success. He almost forgot to deny having any involvement with it. He wouldn't take the credit where it isn't due because the only thing he did was giving instruction from the side while he prepared ingredients for another menu.

"Guess the teacher is really important for this kind of thing, not that I would magically be good at it but I could try. Thanks, Changminnie."

He shrugs it off coyly while shoving the baked potato to Yunho. It's easy, uncomplicated but he could get used to it and fall into the routine if given the chance.

***

"You're really too much, Yunho. Share with us the good stuffs too."

"You really need to rethink your career choice, Yunho hyung. I have a feeling you would make it big if you serve at the right place."

From the back they could hear the banters from the group of waiters waiting by main entrance of the kitchen, which is their receiving area.

"What happened?"

"You didn't know about it, yet? A fancy madam gave a generous tips to Yunho hyung which from the talks I've heard, it's about double of her bill."

"That brat is really famous among customers. Hiring him is really a gamechanger decision."

He's always been sure and satisfied with his position but Changmin has the sudden doubt about it right now. He got the sudden urge to change spot with one of the boys, or girls, for the sake of money he reasons to himself.

"If you mince it a bit more, those garlics would be as good as blended, Chwang."

It makes him looks at the pitiful state of the garlic and tries to find a cover up for goofing up the basic task. Kyuhyun is faster to slap his shoulder with a knowing look.

"It's okay, these things happened sometimes."

Changmin would feel better of Kyuhyun is actually referring to the garlic instead.

***

"Changmin!"

He turns back to see Yunho is running a little to catch after him. Changmin waits and when he is next to him they start walking together.

"Let's go back together."

"What?"

"We have the same stop. I thought I could catch the last bus with you."

Changmin let out a quiet 'oh' after getting the situation cleared. Usually he would wait alone while listening to songs using earphones so it is rare for him to have companion.

"Don't you usually use your bike? What's with the sudden change?"

"Just want a change of air. It's less tiring anyway."

Though it's past midnight there's still quite a lot of people around. It's a city that's still very much alive at the early hour.

When they're at the bus stop, a few minutes later a car stops by.

"Hey - Mr. Waiter!"

Once the window by driver's seat is down, a man around their age calls out at their direction. At Yunho. Changmin didn't expect Yunho to actually approach the car and talk something to the driver but when he started to pull him by force, Changmin steps up and separates Yunho from him by pulling him away. He threaten to report him and furiously glares at the man until he finally drove away.

Luckily other people doesn't mind much about it as they know at this hour the people who are still going out are aiming to have fun, in whatever way they seek. As for him, he doesn't know what to ask since even Yunho looks uncomfortable by what happened.

"He's one of our regulars."

It's what he said when he broke the silence after they get on the bus, in which they end up sitting together. It's reasonable. They have the same stop.

"Why is he acting like that? Just straight up ignore such customers especially outside your working hour. You're not working for them."

Changmin tries to tone down the annoyance in his voice but the he can't control his frowns well enough. 

"Got it, sunbae. Now, stop worrying or you'll look older than me."

"Ha, I'm not though. Hey, there's our stop."

He makes a mistake in stepping away from the seat too early that he lost his balance when the bus halt to a stop. He would definitely make a fool out of himself if it hadn't been for Yunho quick reflex.

"Are you good?"

Yunho only grabs him around the upper arm but it caused their bodies to be pressed closer than they ever had.

"Yeah, thank you."

It isn't exactly a lie though he actually doesn't feel that good.

***

"So... let me get this right. You realised you like Yunho hyung when you rode the bus together and he helped you to avoid embarassing yourself?"

Minho phrases each syllable slowly as if he's trying to explain a difficult theory to a bunch of kids, where in reality he only has two person in the audience.

"I know I make fun of you a lot, but damn Shim Changmin, stop forcing an overused romance drama plot into your love life. That's not cute, man."

He would gladly kick the man out of his pad if he doesn't urgently need their helps. They might be best friends but he already has it hard as is.

"Well, good for you hyung. What should we do next? Do you need me to play cupid?"

Minho has the nicest intention but he knows that isn't the wisest idea. Thankfully Kyuhyun agrees with him.

"What makes you think you could do the job?"

"Easy. I actually spend the most time with Yunho hyung at work compare to you two. And it's quite embarassing to say this myself but I think I might be his favourite colleague."

Kyuhyun obnoxiously snorts at him.

"I agree with the first part. I also agree it's embarassing for you to say that. Donghae, Taemin and even Heechul hyung also said the same thing the other days. Well, not to be bad news bearer, but I think he's quite fond of me."

The upcoming minutes are only Minho and Kyuhyun listing 'proof' they're in fact Yunho's favourite. 

"Wait. We're supposed to help Changmin hyung."

Changmin smiles forcefully when they finally remember his presence and the actual reason for them to meet up that day.

"That's nice of you to mention me, Minho."

"You're my best friend but I really hope your sarcasm won't rub off on Yunho hyung instead if you date him, Chwang. I like the man, at least do that for me."

He stares at Kyuhyun with disdain, calculating the risk of letting him to be around Yunho in the future.

***

"Isn't that too much?"

"What we're gonna do now?"

"I didn't know that person have such temper."

The waiters are talking among each others when they walk into the break room for meals. Changmin has only placed his packed meal onto the table when he saw their gloomy expressions.

"What happened?"

"Yunho oppa waited for a customer at a private table but it seems that he has offended the person."

"Heechul hyung is still trying to the settle problem. I don't know what happened but why would he ask Yunho hyung to kneel down? Are we living in old times?"

"Yunho hyung knelt down for a customer?"

Changmin's face darken at the knowledge. At first he thought it is only a mild complain as it is not the first time customer would make a fuss over a simple thing. Having to kneel down sounds a lot more than a mere fussy customer.

"Still is. They are -"

He doesn't wait any longer and strides out from there with only one destination in mind. Changmin can hear voices coming from the area and if he was angered when he heard about it, he can't describe how he feels when he see Yunho is kneeling by the table with a blank expression.

"Changmin, what are you doing here?"

Yunho also turns to look at him when Heechul addressed him in the middle of the situation.

"I heard there is a trouble so I come out to see it myself if there was a problem with the food."

He actually noticed Yunho been signalling him to not get involved by shaking his head at him several times but he chose to ignore him and focus on the customer instead. Changmin doesn't lose his calm when recognising that the man is actually one of the famous figure in culinary world.

"Don't worry, the food is fine. I only have problem with the waiter here. You may go back, sorry for troubling you to come here yourself."

Heechul inches closer to him and tries to nudge him away but he doesn't budge. Though the customer doesn't bother to look at him when giving the dismissal, he does noticed that Changmin is still in the room and finally gives him a curious look.

"May I know what have displeased you, sir? I don't think it's proper to punish an employee excessively like this."

Now he surely caught the famous chef's attention. He is facing him with sternly while looking at him as if judging his worth.

"I'm afraid it's not something a young chef should bother to involve in. You must have worked hard at the back but with incompetent workers at the front, you would be affected as well."

"What's good for a chef if there's no one to serve the customers."

"Changmin! Stay out of this!"

Both of them pointedly ignore Yunho with Changmin putting his best diplomatic look and the chef is already glaring at him. Heechul by now desperately pulls Changmin away but getting pushed aside instead.

"Aren't you a brave one, young chef? What would you know when with that little experience of yours?"

"I know enough that everyone works hard in their own way to make everything runs smoothly. A waiter might sounds easy theoretically but it is actually harder in reality. They always have to bow to customers, comply to their requests, deal with customer's mood and being looked down by entitled customers. I don't think you would expect a chef to do both the cooking and serving especially with one with a status like you, isn't that right?"

Changmin knows it is a too bold of an action but he prepares himself when unexpectedly Yunho blocks his view. He pushed Changmin slightly backwards and keeping his stance firm as if he is shielding him from whatever wrath that is coming his way.

"You know who I am and still pulling such stupid move. Shouldn't you worry for yourself first?"

"Please, please don't implicate another person in this matter. It's my fault to begin with, let others go. I would do anything you told me to."

Changmin is shocked to hear how desperate Yunho's sounds. Everyone in the room know that he shouldn't dream to stay in the field if man with such status wants him to lose whatever little spot he has.

"Anything?"

"Yes."

"I didn't expect that from you." 

No one said another word for a moment. Yunho is still in front of him engaging in staring contest with the customer without looking inferior.

"Leave. Everyone leave now before I change my mind. I'll hold onto your word, Yunho. No backing off this time."

They got scolded some more by Heechul after that, especially Changmin for his recklessness. He admits his mistake and if he were to be honest, he would still do it again without if they could turn back the time.

They are given a break after the trouble the have went through and Yunho takes Changmin outside for a talk.

"Thank you for what you did just now. It's foolish. But still, thank you."

Changmin takes a deep breath to clear his mind from everything that just happened. 

"What did you do actually? I don't take you as the type that would make customer mad, a well known one at that."

"I suggested drinks that doesn't go with his taste for the meal so he got angry for the mistake."

Changmin's jaw drop at the answer. Yunho doesn't seem angry by it, only looking slight annoyed at the mention of it.

"He asked you to kneel down just because of that?"

Yunho shrugs it off.

"There's also the fact he still can't accept I didn't follow his path as a chef, but it just him releasing some steam like usual."

"Excuse me?"

"My dad is petty like that, he's nice once you know him but he likes to put me on the spot sometimes."

This time he is more stunned than before. Yunho didn't notice his shock until he realised Changmin has gone quiet.

"What is it?"

"You're Jung Yanghyun's son?"

It's Yunho's turn to look confuse at his question as if it's a known fact.

"Yes?"

"You're a mess in the kitchen and now you casually claim your dad is Chef Jung Yanghyun? He's Korea beloved chef and you --- why didn't you tell me earlier? I have made a fool of myself in front of your dad back there. Damn, I-"

"Wait. It's fine. I'll make sure my dad won't pull anything on you."

He is at lost for words and he can't even explain to Yunho the reason for it. How is he going to simply say "Tell your dad I'm sorry. By the way, I happen to like you so I hope your dad won't find me lacking for me behaviour earlier hehe," when he's done enough damage.

"I... yes, I mean, great."

***

His plan goes down the drain just like that. Now he can't exactly pushing through without looking like he's trying to benefit from it. The punishment Yunho has received from his dad doesn't make it any easier either.

"He said he won't hold it on you but for me, he wants me to at least try to be decent at cooking. So he wants me to learn it from you."

Instead of seeing each other 5 days a week at work, now they see each other almost everyday either at his or Yunho's place for their cooking class. 

"Hyung, can you give me a hand with these bags please."

They are at each other's places often enough that they decide to exchange their place's access code. As it has become their weekly routine, they don't bother to inform their arrival. They would only contact the other if they couldn't make it but it seems that Yunho has forgotten to inform him such important point about it that day.

"Oh dear, who do we got here?"

When he looks up from taking of his shoes, instead of Yunho, it is an older woman he recognised as Yunho's mom from the pictures around the house.

"Changminnie ! I didn't get to inform you earlier, my family's coming over today."

"Thanks for the early head up, hyung."

"It's fine, he can join us. It's nice to finally meet you, Changmin."

She takes his hand and shakes it several time.

"Let's go inside, Changmin, Yunho's dad is in the kitchen. Yunho, help Changmin to carry those bags."

He follows her on instinct as she is still holding his hand in hers. When Yunho's dad look at him once the enter the kitchen he regrets not bolting out of the door just now.

"Honey, Jihye, look who's joining us today."

Changmin bows awkwardly to Yunho's dad with their last encounter replaying in his mind. Jihye waves at him with her free hand.

"Shim Changmin, mind helping me to clean the fish over there?"

"He didn't even get to sit down and you're already ordering him around?"

"I don't mind, I'll do it right away."

After taking the right knife, he stiffly joins them quietly, feeling self conscious with every move he makes.

"I heard you make Yunho oppa tried his hand in cooking when dad failed to do so for years." 

Jihye speaks with a quiet voice when he takes a place beside her. Changmin immediately looks to see whether others heard her.

"Yunho hyung isn't that bad, he just lack practice and patience for it."

She hums teasingly at his answer.

"What are you guys talking about?"

Yunho joins them and stand next to Changmin, holding a cabbage in his hand.

"Nothing, just asking Changmin about some stuffs. Shoo, bring your vegetables away from here."

He eyes her suspiciously but when their mom calls him, he left them to be alone again. It's quite nice to talk to Jihye, she's friendly to make him welcome.

Changmin doesn't get to talk much with Yunho as in the end he is told to cook the fish using the ingredients Jihye has prepared. However they did slip in passing remarks whenever they thought his family didn't pay attention to them.

At the table, Changmin holds his breath when Yunho's dad reach out for his dish first. He doesn't say anything but nods his head a few times as he chews. After looking at her husband's reaction, Yunho's mom tries it to smile warmly at him.

"You're a really good cook, Changmin. No wonder Yunho keeps praising you. How is it honey? Do you approve him?"

"He's good, but he still has a lot more to prove."

She playfully nudge him before putting another piece into his plate.

"Their son isn't interested to become a chef but at least he's interested in one." 

Changmin drops his chopsticks and Yunho fake coughs isn't helping to lessen the shock. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Yunho's mom smile amusedly at their reactions though she gleefully change the topic.

Lunch passed with him and Yunho avoiding each other's glances. He even got to speak to his dad instead of Yunho himself. The Jungs only stay for a while before leaving them dealing with the awkwardness with Jihye wishing him good luck and congratulations in advanced before she left.

"Is it real? About what your sister said."

"She's not lying about it."

There's a beat. Changmin doesn't know what to make of the not sort of a confession.

"Don't get it wrong. I like you, really really like you - but my original plan was to tell you after I could at least make a decent something for us - ah, I spoiled enough didn't I?"

Though it still isn't a proper confession, but Changmin feels giddy at the thought his feeling is reciprocated. He enjoys looking at Yunho squirming trying to save the situation.

"Well, you can still work on your plan later, hyung. I don't mind waiting but since I'm quite impatient myself, can I confess to you first?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Their dynamics reminded me of Linguini & Colette from 'Ratatouille' so I wrote this loosely based on the movie as reference since I have zero knowledge about restaurant works :P (I used to watch it a lot 😆)
> 
> Oh, lately I started reading 魔道祖师 (Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation) - translated version - because I was told it's fun? I'm only starting so we'll see 🙈
> 
> Also, if there's any Taiwanese here who just won their fight, congratulations 🌈💖


	16. arc #16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm supposed to do something else but because I have no sense of control or priorities 🙈🙈 also sorry for another lie, this is the same universe as arc #14, but you can still understand it if you don't want to read the previous chapter

Changmin went to bed much later and risen up much earlier than Yunho, before spending most of his time in his home studio until his stomach starts to protest for attention. Only then he comes out of his room in search for food to find a stuffed up sub sandwiches neatly wrapped in clear-wrap on a plate at his usual seat a the dining table. 

He frowns to find Yunho's iPad is left beside the plate so he taps the screen and play the last played recording on it. From the video, he can see Seol is the one who started the recording before flipping the camera to the two other persons beside her.

"Papa, please eat this deliciously~"

"I told daddy to add in a lot of lettuce so you can stay healthy!"

"Changdol, I can assure you that the taste is better than its visual."

He chuckles at the amount of adorableness in the short video and share it to his own phone to be added to his collection. 

"Finally coming out to see the light, Changminnie?"

Turning around, he sees Yunho is standing at the entry of the dining area. When he takes a seat Yunho immediately walks to the fridge and takes out a glass from the shelf.

"What drinks do you want?"

"Iced tea would be fine, thank you."

He joins Changmin at the table with only one glass in his hand and takes the opposite seat.

"Nothing for yourself?"

"I already ate with the kids, I just want to accompany you eating."

There's a familiar warmth bloom inside him at those words. It's nothing unusual as they usually eat together or at least stay at the side when the other is eating, even at times they let the silent falls between them. 

There is no desperate needs for them to find a topic all the time to fill in those gaps as they have been with each other long enough to feel comfortable with mere presence of each other. Plus, they have all the time in the world to talk about everything and nothing if they wish to.

He already gone through half of his sandwich when he notices it feels like there's only them inside the house.

"Where are Joon and Seol?"

"Why?"

This time Changmin squints his eyes suspiciously at Yunho before remembering that he didn't hear their voices either on his way to the table. Usually, though they would not interrupt him when working, they would still crowd him when they see him coming out from the studio room. 

"I don't remember them being this quiet unless when they're sleeping. Where are they?"

"They're playing nicely outside, don't worry too much."

He wants to check it themselves before Yunho stops him and rise from the seat himself to get them. He doesn't voice out his dissatisfaction and let it be, taking few more bites while waiting for them.

"Papa! Do you like the sandwich?"

"Hello, princess. Of course I like it, it's really delicious."

"Eat a lot so you don't fall sick, papa."

Changmin eventually laughs at the nagging tone Joon is using on him. He couldn't believe it would be this early for him to be at the receiving end of the children's lecture.

"All right, doctor. I will take care of my health well with your help."

Yunho ushers them to go inside when he suddenly snatches something from Seol's hand before both of them share secret look between them.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I saw some dust on her hand."

It sounds a little off to Changmin's ear but he lets it slides when Joon asks to take a sip from his drink. He helps him holding the glass before asking question for both of them in general.

"What were you two doing just now?"

Pause. Stare.

"Playing ball."

"Playing doll."

Both of them answer it simultaneously but the second words heavily overlaps causing him to laugh at the rush.

"Okay, seems like you are busy playing, too. Can I join you guys?"

"No!"

Their answer caught him off guard. They sound really resolute on rejecting him making him rethinking whether he had been ignoring them too much during the past days. Yunho's hand on his shoulder brings him back to reality.

"They don't mean it in bad way, Changminnie. You're busy so I'm sure they just don't want to bother you."

He looks back at them and both of them nod agreeing with Yunho. They have caught on early that Yunho is the one who is better when it comes to diplomatic words between the parents and somehow always use it to their advantage. 

Changmin places his hand on top of Yunho's, and it's enough of a signal for him to bend down to listen to what Changmin wants to say.

"They're not mad at me, right?"

"No, why would they? We've talked about this, you always take care of them when I'm busy with works and I'll do the same for you. We'll not let them feel left out."

Joon and Seol watch their parents curiously when they suddenly speak in hush whisper to each other. Sharing another look, they shrug and run outside with mischievous giggles.

Yunho stares at their disappearing back but he doesn't worry much as he knows where to find them later. He is still comforting Changmin to make him feel better as he knows that he must have been exhausted.

"Want me stay with you a bit more? I can sit with you in the studio if you want."

Changmin appreciates the offer but he slowly shakes his head, dismissing the idea. 

"It's okay, there isn't much work left. You should go after them, who knows what they're doing right now."

"I'll go to them after this. First, let me look at you for a few more minutes and walk you back safely into your haven."

He receives a disbelief look for that but Changmin lets him do just that without a question. If he does noticed him behaving weirdly, at least he still doesn't ask for the reason.

\---

The next time he comes out from his room is because a phone call he receives. Yunho.

"Has technology won over human race now that you have have to call me when we're both at home?"

"Hello to you too, my love."

Changmin got to give it to Yunho for his undeterred enthusiasm when it comes to dealing with his less-than cheery greeting at times.

"What do you need now?"

"Can you go into our room and get something from the closet? I think it's somewhere on our dressing table?"

"Are you being serious now? Why can't you do it yourself?"

He is already halfway out of the door despite the complaining, still clutching the phone to his ear when he hears his husband laughs.

"Because I know you're most probably are already on your way to our room by now."

Even when he is almost reach their room, he doesn't end the call. Enjoy listening to Yunho endless idea to amuse him at the moment before he finally realised something's wrong around him.

"Wait, did you guys go out without telling me? Why is it so dark here?"

"Just hurry and take that thing please."

Changmin hurries up into he closet and starts searching for it but it just comes to him that Yunho has never told him what he is supposed to look for. He is about to ask about it when the line is suddenly disconnected.

Looking around the table, he doesn't see anything out of place except for one lone puzzle piece.

"Did he just ordered me around to get this for him?"

He isn't sure if it was what Yunho wanted him to retrieve but it is the most possible item so he grabs it and walk around the house to find the man himself. It is almost eerily silent and quite dark with only some lights are switched on. 

He is at the bottom of the stairs when he noticed arrows on the floor. Following the direction they're arranged in, he is lead to the glass sliding door. Just when he walks out of the house, it suddenly lights up and he is in awe at what he sees. 

The trees around the backyard are decorated with fairy lights, creating an illusion like stars in night sky hanging above. There's still no one in sight but something on the table caught his attention. 

Using the helps of the lights, he can clearly see what it is just as he is a few steps away. 

Puzzle. 

It's not just any puzzle, it's the picture on their wedding day, when he and Yunho are standing besides each other. 

As he almost teared up at the sight, he finally hears something that explains everything.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you~"

Joon and Seol are carrying a cake while singing for him followed by Yunho from behind, while recording the whole scene.

He quickly knelt in front of them and give a kiss each on their cheeks. Separated by the cake, in front of him Yunho also does the same. The camera is still recording but his eyes are no longer looking at the small screen, choosing to stare right into Changmin's instead.

"Make a wish, Changdol."

It is his first time wishing for something earnestly before blowing the candles and Yunho takes the cake to place it on the table. 

"Do you like this, papa?"

"I love it. It's perfect. Did you guys do this?"

"We helped daddy to do it."

Changmin pulls both of them into his embrace and repeatedly kiss their cheeks again and again before they burst into giggles and start to squirm away from him. They escape from the hug and scurries to the table, looking forward to get their hand on the cake.

"Happy birthday, my dear husband."

This time, it's him who gets pulled into a hug. He doesn't and will never know anyone who gives a better hug than Yunho. From the beginning until now, Yunho's hug always has the same impact on him. It can calm him down, improve his mood and make him feel appreciated and cherished all at once.

"Thank you for doing all this. I can't believe I forgot about it myself but usually my family and friends would at least send me some texts, so that's my defense if you want to make fun of me for being forgetful."

Yunho plants a small kiss on his lips before pulling away just before he could return the kiss.

"Maybe... someone told them to hold on their wishes at least until tonight."

Changmin can't believe how much thought Yunho has given into it. He went in for a kiss which Yunho happily lean into but it isn't for long when Joon's and Seol's voice of protest make them pull away. When they look at them, both of them covered their eyes with their tiny hands.

Yunho releases Changmin to tickle them to the ground which induce more giggles and squealing. They hide behind Changmin to use him as a human shield when Yunho chased after them. It only turns quiet once again when they finally got to eat. 

When Joon and Seol ignore them to focus on the cake, Yunho takes his place beside Changmin who is staring at the puzzle with a serene smile on his face. 

"There's actually something missing here if you look closely, did you notice it?"

Frowning at those words, Changmin inspects it closely and he only saw it after looking for a while. There is one missing piece right around Yunho's left chest. It is not too obvious due to the background of the frame is in dark colour, almost in the same colour as his tuxedo. 

When it finally clicks for him, he takes out the piece he took from the dressing room and it matches with the empty space.

"It's not noticeable at first glance and I might be slow at times, but I just want you to know that you're the only one who have the missing piece to complete me."

Changmin fiddles with the piece in his hand to control his emotion. He can feel his tears well up from the earnestness in Yunho's voice.

"Your head must hurt from trying to think those words, right?"

Yunho looks at his face carefully before he thumbs away the tears at the corner of his eyes.

"It's doesn't matter, because it's for Changminnie."

"Papa, why are you crying?"

The twin has taken notice of his change in emotion and he quickly wipes the remaining tears away and feed Yunho with the cake using his spoon.

Us. My wish is for us to always be together.

***

They return to South Korea for a ten-days trip in April. They spend a few days at Gwangju spending time with Yunho's family and another few days at Seoul to meet Changmin's. 

Their parents are excited with their visit as the last time they met it was during both families come to meet them to celebrate the twins' birthdays, which is almost half a year ago.

Joon and Seol doesn't shied away from their grandparents as they often see them through video calls, and it is clear to everyone present there that they really enjoys all the attention they receive when meeting them.

Their last night is spent at their apartment, where they invite their friends for meeting up before they fly back. 

"How's your trip this time?"

Hojun asks Yunho when they're alone. Standing at the balcony, they look over the glamorous night sceneries of Seoul.

"Better than before. It's not holiday season so we only keep this visit to close family members. Which means no nosy relatives, I feel kinda bad to feel good about it."

He earns a slap on the back for that.

"Ow, hyung! What is that for?"

"What do you feel bad for? Those people never think twice before throwing jab to your family, you should feel grateful for their absence."

It's impossible to force everyone to understand their choice. They did receive one or two cynical remarks disguised as friendly jokes from distant relatives either on his or Changmin's sides which they simply brush off to avoid creating further problems.

"But -"

"Yunho, if by avoiding those negativity means protecting Changmin, that's what matters. Do you still remember what happened back then?"

How could he forget? Changmin, who managed to hide his pain most of the time, came to him with a face filled with sorrow, apologising for being in his life, for taking something that shouldn't belong to him. He would never wish to see such expression again. 

"You're right. I won't let anyone hurts Changmin or our kids in any way. I'd do anything to protect them."

"I believe Changmin, Joon and Seol would do the same thing for you."

Hojun squeezes his shoulder a few times before Minseok calls them to come inside for snacks. Donghae and Heechul are bringing the bowls to the front while Minseok cleans the kitchen counter.

"Before you ask, Changmin is in the room to change his shirt because he got splashed by the juice while blending the fruit."

"It wouldn't happen if Minho put on the cover properly."

Coming back to the living room with different shirt, Changmin helps Donghae to set up the table. Heechul already ditch him to browse the channels on TV.

"That's because Heechul hyung keeps bugging me. I'm also a victim here."

Both Yunho and Hojun join them at the table to help them. Heechul settles on the channel that plays baseball game and takes his own seat at the table.

"Kyuhyun! Hyukjae! Bring Seol and Joon here, the snacks are ready."

The others are either distracted by the game or food but Yunho notices Changmin is startled by Heechul's sudden loud voice. Always so jumpy at every unexpected noise or surprises, his Changminnie.

"Papa! Look at this - daddy hugs someone else in this picture!"

Seol runs to Changmin while holding out a dual-photo frame. When she shows it to everyone at the table, Changmin turns bright red and try to snatch it away but Heechul is faster than him.

"It's been a while since I saw this. Kids, what do you think about this girl?"

Joon hugs Changmin's leg tightly, refusing to look at the picture when Heechul shows it to them.

"I don't like her! Why did daddy kiss her in that second photo? Daddy said kiss is special."

In the first picture Yunho is seen holding the 'girl' in red dress closely with his arm around 'her' waist and in the second one Yunho leans to press a kiss on 'her' jaw while 'she' glanced at the camera looking almost shy, making the picture looks intimate.

Yunho laughs awkwardly and wrestles the frame away from Heechul. It's just a useless move as everyone's have seen it by now and Joon is looking at him accusingly. Seol isn't as bothered as Heechul pulls her into his laps.

"Seol, do you think the girl is pretty?"

"Yes. Did daddy loves her too?"

Changmin squawked indignantly at the question. 

"Your daddy said she's the prettiest, I have a video if you want to see it."

"Hojun hyung, why are you helping them?"

Yunho looks at Hojun, feigning hurt at his betrayal. Joon clenched his hand into a fist and punches Yunho's thigh repeatedly.

"You said you love papa the most and he is the prettiest! You lied!"

Seol only look at his brother from the table, looking at her parents back and forth before whispering something to Heechul behind her. 

"What have you been telling them behind my back hyung?!"

"Of course papa is always the best to me, who do you the one in the picture is, Joon?"

He has given up on caring about their friends amused reaction and hold the boy's fist gently to stop him. Showing him the picture, though still looking annoyed, this time Joon looks at it carefully.

"The hair is different ..."

It looks like he has started to believe Yunho and hold the frame to compare the picture with Changmin who has now taken place next to him. After that, he passes the frame to Changmin and pats his papa's cheek as if to comfort him.

"Are you satisfied now, little hero? Apologise to your daddy for you behavior just now, say you didn't mean it."

Joon looks up to Yunho and holds out his arms, which Yunho gladly takes to carry him in his arms. When he is being carried, he kisses Yunho's cheek and apologize meekly. Yunho is not even mad but he still melt at the way Joon looks at him.

"That ends well."

Changmin instantly turns to Kyuhyun after listening to his comment and glares at his best friend.

"It wouldn't even start if you explain properly to them about it from the beginning. I'll make sure I show them how you look with that blonde wig, Kyu."

It at least causes Kyuhyun to wince, remembering the look.

"How is it my fault? I'm not the one who placed such scandalous picture in the open."

He has just recovers from his blushing mess when the topic is brought up again. The picture was never meant for others to see in the first place.

"I'm glad everyone's happy and all but Seol just asked me a very brilliant question."

Heechul purposely pause to get the attention from everyone inside the room. Once everyone anticipates him to continue that he signals Seol to repeat the question.

"Is that why daddy falls in love with papa?"

\---

The next day, after checking in all their luggage, they hang around the lounge while waiting to board the flight. The couple sit at the couch watching over their children who's luckily prefer to play around between themselves instead of wandering around. 

They sit still but chattering in language only they know while watching cartoon Changmin has picked for them. Since they're still at Korea, it is better for blend in rather than making their presence known by walking around too much. 

"Hyung?"

Yunho only slightly turn to him, still immersed in listening to the kids' conversation. Before, they were worried that both of them likes to play a lot compare to eating. When they talk about it with their parents, they say it's common for kids at their age, which ease their worry a bit.

"I'm glad our visit this time went by without any problems. It's nice."

It might sound like he said it in a passing but Yunho can hear the relief in his voice. Their last several visits aren't exactly horrible but he didn't realised how those some unpleasant remarks actually affected Changmin more than he let him know.

"Do you like our stay this time?"

"Yes, it's nice."

When he saw the soft smile curved on the delicate face, he instinctively hold Changmin's hand and put it on his thigh. Out of habit, Changmin quickly look at their surrounding but Yunho pinched his palm to get his attention.

"Why are you looking at other things when I'm trying to talk to you here?"

"You should talk with your mouth, not your hands."

Yunho doesn't only look this time, but he wants to see every little things he might have missed before. He probably know every little gestures Changmin often do from years spending together but he doesn't see himself getting sick of them even in the distant future.

"What are you looking at?"

Using his free hand, Changmin touches his face trying to feel around if there's anything on his face.

"You really have the prettiest eyes, Changminnie."

Yunho said it with a dreamy sigh, with one hand still holding Changmin's and he rests his chin on the hand while staring at his husband. 

"Why are you throwing those lines like you're trying to make a move on me? Have you forgotten that you've been saying the same thing since forever, hyung?"

"I'm just saying the truth."

Debating about this with Yunho means you would always need to prepare to lose, even if the person arguing about the validity of his point is Changmin. Changmin gives up and decide to entertain him since they still have plenty of time to kill.

"Is it only my eyes that look pretty to you?"

He lowers his face and glare playfully through his lashes at Yunho. It's a bait but it's a bait the older man more than willing to take. The rare times Changmin actually wants to play along are really endearing when he usually still can't stop himself from being flustered despite hearing the compliment countless times already.

"Your everything are pretty to me, but it wouldn't be appropriate for me to list down everything here, or should I?"

Yunho has moved closer and his voice is significantly lower which cause Changmin to blush for real, turning red in a matter of second. The moment is ruined when they heard a shutter sound, which makes them immediately turn to find the source.

The culprit is looking at them with a surprised look as well. Looking sheepish at getting caught, Seol slowly shows the screen to her parents. The picture isn't at the finest quality, none of the aesthetic that Changmin loves to apply whenever he's behind the camera. 

Despite looking a little shaky from unsteady hand holding the device, the picture alone speaks a thousand word. It was taken right at the moment when their eyes met with each having different reasons behind their smile. The adults both fall for the picture right away.

"Oppa made me do it."

"It's a good picture, papa and daddy look happy."

Unwilling to go down without a fight, Joon and Seol quickly defend themselves. Changmin calls them to stand in front of him.

"That's nice of you, the picture also comes out nicely but I really need to say this. Don't blame me but seems like you guys take after your daddy for your skills in taking picture."

"Changdol!"

At Yunho's protest, Changmin pulls them both to him and laugh at how Yunho looks so wronged at the statement. He stops and stare and the laughing sound.

This is it. Us being happy like this is enough.

***

Joon and Seol wake up early that day and come down in search of their parents. They're not at the dining table so they take a peek into the kitchen to see them preparing the breakfast together. 

"Can you hand me the milk, hyung?"

Yunho grabs the milk and passes it to Changmin. He lingers behind the younger man after that to hug him from the back, taking the chance while he is focusing on the pan.

Though it seems that he tries to nudge Yunho away, when ones look closely, they would be able to tell that he actually could step out of the hold easily if he wants to. Changmin jumps a little when Yunho place a kiss on his nape.

"Why are your lips so cold?"

"I had some ice-cream just now."

"At this early hour? When it's already so cold today after since it was snowing almost the whole night. Don't -"

The twins decide to greet them and intervene before the adults could argue more. It's always been like that with their parents but they know it's one of the way they show affection to each other.

"Morning."

At the sound of their chirpy voices, Yunho and Changmin turns around and Yunho releases his hold on Changmin to go to the kids.

"Morning, little ones. Why did you two wake up so early today?"

"Can we play snow together later?"

Joon nods eagerly at his sister's question. Both of them plead to Yunho and give him their best puppy eyes. Yunho turns to look at Changmin who chose to stay back from the little discourse.

"I see, seems like you learn from the best. Sure, we can play later but we're going to eat first because papa is making pancake today."

"We'll go get chocolate and strawberry syrup for that." 

They immediately run to take their seat at the table leaving Yunho behind.

"They got it from you, don't they?"

Changmin rolls his eyes at the accusing tone. As if Yunho never trick him into something with the same tactic either.

"Of course, they're our kids afterall."

"Daddy, come here. Don't disturb papa, you'll slow him down!"

Changmin laughs when he hears they kids and gestures for Yunho to go. Joon and Seol give victory grin when their daddy finally comes to join them with a glass of juice in each hands.

"Who says I'm distracting your papa? I'm good at helping in the kitchen."

Joon takes a sip and smiles at him to soothe him.

"You're the best, daddy, but the faster papa get the breakfast done, we can play earlier, too."

"It feels like I'm having dejavu, I know I experienced this a lot even before. It's so obvious who do you take after..."

It is when they're all at the table Seol finally remember the question they been wanting to ask their parents.

"Daddy, can you help us to write something tonight?"

She looks at Yunho, knowing well it won't be a big deal for him. When her daddy smiles and agree to the request, she shakes Joon's hand happily to celebrate their secret plan.

"What do you want to write?"

"We want to ask present from Santa Claus."

"Can I join too?"

"We don't want to bother you, papa."

Seol quickly answers for both of them. They have discussed about it and after much consideration, both she and Joon think they shouldn't invite their papa along.

"Why? Papa is very good at writing. Maybe he wants to send a letter to Santa too."

They look how their papa pouts and pushes their daddy slightly for it. Instead of moving away, Yunho catches the hand Changmin used to push him and tugs it into both of his hands.

"You can write it with us first then write another one with papa."

Seol suggests when Yunho insists on inviting Changmin along. They know their papa would talk them out of it if he joins them.

In their bedroom that night, Changmin is sitting on the edge of their bed when Yunho comes in with three envelopes. 

"So, what did they want to keep away from me?"

After placing the letter onto the nightstand on his side, he pulls Changmin flush to his side.

"They want new bikes, like, kids bikes."

"They're at that age already? I'm fine with that, it's good if they want to start early."

At last Yunho rests his face on Changmin's shoulder, assessing his mood from the side. He only continues when he deems Changmin looks relax and calm enough.

"Well, they want a new friend for Bonnie."

"That's it? Another doll? Why they're so secretive about it, it's nothing big at all."

Yunho stucks at trying to explain about it. He knows Changmin won't really like what he's gonna tell him and when his husband notices his poise, he naturally knows there's still more to it.

"Oh God, please tell me I guess wrongly this time."

\---

"Do you think daddy will tell papa?"

"I think so. Daddy never lies to him."

They're already in their own beds, tucked properly under the cover while facing the ceiling. Their attention is on the 'stars' they hung with their parents a few months ago.

"Will it be okay? What if papa don't want to send the letter to Santa?"

Seol turns to Joon and look at his brother's worry face. 

"You worry too much, oppa. Daddy already said he will make sure Santa receives the letter."

"Hopefully daddy won't get nagged for it."

Joon plays with his fingers, worrying that Yunho would be scolded for helping them.

"Even he did, papa still loves him a lot. Didn't daddy say that papa nags because he cares."

Seol remember the words Yunho told them when they run to him after Changmin scolded them for trying to play with the oven. Changmin went out alone and bought them cake that day to apologise.

"We'll share it with them too if Santa give us the present later."

\---

"I want to put this too."

"Hyung, the colour doesn't match at all."

"Changminnie."

"Put away those stars back into its box. I told you we're doing silver and white for the theme this year."

They are hanging decorations which ends up taking a lot more time that it's supposed to because their parents keep on arguing on the choice of ornament. After getting bored of waiting for them to reach agreement, they rummage through the bag to find other interesting things.

They are playing with the various size bells when something caught their eyes. Abandoning the bells, the twins pick it up and look at each other sharing the same thought. 

"Daddy, papa."

"Yes?"

"Look, we make us four together."

On the floor, arranged to hold hand together is a family of little gingerbread man. 

"This is me and Seol, and this is papa and this one is daddy."

"Can we hang this, papa?"

Seol hugs Changmin, hoping her parents would agree to add the decoration to their Christmas tree. 

"We'll put this on our tree for sure."

The end result of their tree makes both of them smile happily at it. There's a lot of stars, gingerbread man family, candy stick, deers, mini Santa and snowman on the tree. 

They eagerly make a video call to the family at Korea, showing both grandparents their very merry Christmas tree. They proudly tell their grandfathers and grandmothers that they help their parents put everything up. 

When Seol is excitedly explaining something, Joon takes a step back and notice his parents are looking at the tree together.

"Sorry, Changdol. I promise we'll make the Christmas tree just like how you want it next year."

"Nah, it's okay. We had fun decorating this together, it's the best tree in this neighbourhood and no one shall say a thing about it."

After that, Yunho kisses Changmin on the cheek and whisper something to him that makes him smile. Joon leaves them alone to join back his sister when their cousin, Eunchae asks about him.

\---

On Christmas morning, the floor is covered with wrappers from all the gift they excitedly open one by one. Not only they got the bicycles they want, there's also several extra gifts Santa generously left for them.

As they unwrapped the last gift, their smiles dim when there's one gift that can't be found among all the nice things they have received.

"Anything's wrong?"

Changmin, completes with his Rudolph's nose and ear, joins them to sit on the floor, asking with a concerned look. Seol shakes her head while smiling, knowing well their parents always remind them to be grateful for everything. Joon does the same and moves to sit on Changmin's lap.

Both of them share the same understanding about the matter anyway. They can always try again next year.

"Where's daddy? He was here earlier."

When her brother points it out, Seol also looks around for Yunho. Before gathering around the tree, Yunho makes them pick the character they want. Joon and Seol decided to become elves with their matching pointy hat and shoes, Yunho quickly picked Santa's hat which makes the only option left was Rudolph's set for Changmin.

"Daddy said you ask for a difficult gift from Santa, is that true?"

They don't dare to lie when Changmin uses the tone when asking them so they slowly nod their heads, admitting their fault. They are about to apologise when there is a soft bark from the kitchen. A few seconds later, an average sized puppy run towards their direction but Changmin scoops it up before it crashes into them. 

"Ehhh?"

They react in unison but when the surprise feeling settled down, they reach out their hand to touch the light brown furry friend. Once Changmin let the dog down onto the floor, both of them squeal to pet it, which is accepted happily by the puppy.

"Will it stay with us?"

"We can keep him if you promise to follow the rules -"

"We will!"

Changmin is in the middle of talking when they interrupt him. With him still with the red nose and extra ears, both Joon and Seol can't take his disapproving pout seriously. Finally, Yunho joins them and they turn to him for his consent.

"Daddy, are we keeping him?"

"If you two give me and papa a kiss, maybe I'll consider it."

They immediately crowd them leaving loud kisses on their cheeks several times until Yunho and Changmin caught one of them each into their embrace, Joon in Changmin's and Seol in Yunho's. The puppy naturally approach Yunho since they been hiding together before and Yunho pull him along on his lap.

"Did Santa send him too?"

Joon asks Changmin while still clinging to him despite wanting to play with the puppy, reluctant to leave him because he doesn't want his papa to be alone.

"No, but this is present from daddy and I for you two."

Listening to his word, Seol calls out to Changmin to thank him and blow kisses to him while still in Yunho's hold.

"As expected, you know papa the best, daddy!"

"What did daddy say about me?"

Before Seol can answer him, Yunho immediately cover her mouth with his hand.

"I only talk good thing about you, baby. Now, let's take a family photo everyone."

"I'm not your baby. Hyung, tell me what did you tell them!"

Their house is filled sound of people running, kids' laughter and puppy's bark that morning but in the end, nothing could beat their smiles in the much delayed photo session.

 

.

.

.

.

.

yunho2154 just posted a photo.

changmin88 just posted a photo.

.  
.  
.

\- YOU POSTED FOR REAL? IS THIS A DREAM ?? YUNHO, CHANGMIN, TWIN, LITTLE PUPPY - MERRY CHRISTMAS!

\- did yuno and chanmin posted for real? this is so cute! 

-you two match well! Mr. Santa and his Rudolf, if you're lonely there we are still here to create the ocean!

\- oppa! Red is still the colour that matches both of you the most!

\- what is this? did Santa Claus hacked my phone !!!

\- the elves are cute, yuno and chanmin still look cool as usual ! that little friend is smiling too !

\- thank you for sharing this ㅠㅠ this looks like a magazine cut, so pretty

\- little elves ! please take care of our yunho and changmin well ! that cute baby, please watch over them well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I heard there is a good date among one of the days this week so I end up completing this. I hope it isn't too bad or disappointing anyone who like the kids from previous their appearance.
> 
> (Also I got the idea for the photo from their SPUR cover - it was a good time when the photo was everywhere ^^)
> 
> Sorry if there are many mistakes, I'm sharing this for fun without enough time to check it again 💤
> 
> *NOT AN UPDATE BUT I JUST WANT TO SHARE EXCITEMENT THAT TOHOSHINKI HAS JUST ANNOUNCED THEIR TOUR DATES 😭😭😭😭 one of my wishes actually being granted out of the blue - I'M HAPPY! That person saying the truth? There really is blessed date this week thank you 😭


	17. arc #17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to dedicate this chapter to LizRivero for triggering me to post this update - thank you for always commenting on my writing even the old one 🤗
> 
> An apology to people who's disappointed that this isn't a new arc. You can read the backstory on #7 & #10 though you can also choose to ignore them. 
> 
> Here we go.

"Looking good, maknae!"

Changmin has just returned from site with a whole different look from before he left the station. His usual neat appearance is replaced by a total makeover of believable imitation of swamp monster with half of his outfit is covered by muddy soil.

"Detective Jang, what did you do to the kid?"

"I'm innocent, chief! He went down into the hole on his own and didn't get to climb up in time due to the sudden heavy rain."

Their team leader was explaining about the new profiler assigned to their unit when they came in. Yunho was initially shocked when he saw him but soon after there's hint of amusement in his eyes.

The senior detectives pull out their phones and start to capture his picture from various angles while he could only grimace at them. Even the other units start to take interest in his sorry state.

"Finally you look like a proper maknae, Shim!"

After the removal of Han Woohyuk, it was quite awkward but the relationship in the team improves greatly after a while. Though they like to tease and annoyed him since he's the youngest, at times his teammates would also spoiled and support him when needed. 

"Go clean yourself before the new guy arrived, Shim Changmin. Wouldn't want they to have wrong impression about you, dont't we?"

Changmin curls his lips downwards instinctively at Yunho's teasing but he immediately corrects his reaction when he remembers where they currently at.

It is totally his unlucky day as he has only take a few steps away when the said new guy walks into the room. He goes directly to the team leader to hand his file totally ignoring his existence.

"I'm Lieutenant Park Taesoo, the new profiler."

"How come it is you?"

"Yunho, don't you know that's not how you should greet a friend?"

Despite his claim to be a friend, Yunho doesn't warm up to his presence at all. From Changmin's point of view, he could see the unusually cold glare from Yunho even when Taesoo is still grinning at him.

"Among all the profilers they have, it's hard to believe they decide to send you here. Is there such a coincidence in this world?"

"Out of concern, I told your father on how much I worried about you. It isn't a good image for the police as the case has been dragging far too long."

"Don't you dare to use him against me!"

The bright atmosphere a moment ago has turned into a brewing storm with none of the two is willing to back down. Their team leader is on the edge preparing to stop them if they happen to start a physical fight.

"I'm just telling the truth. People start doubting the whole force after the fifth body was discovered the other day. It must be hard for you to work with such incompetent person."

The jab is clearly directed at Changmin when Taesoo throw an unsubtle glance towards him. It is the final push for Yunho when he almost lunged at the man in front of him but the chief quickly jump in between them to stop him. In the end, Yunho strides out of the room furiously leaving Taesoo behind with his satisfied smirk.

Not knowing what should he do, Changmin noticed the chief is gesturing for him to chase after the man. Without wasting anymore time, he drags his muddy shoes and catch up to him right before the staircase.

"Hyung, what happened back there?"

Finally realising that Changmin has been tailing him, Yunho turns to face him and takes a proper look at him.

"Take a shower and change into dry clothes now, Changmin. You could catch a cold if you keep wearing that."

His tone sounds better compared to the one when he was confronting Taesoo. It is like the one who was involved in the incident earlier is a different person when right now only he looks really concerned for him.

Changmin wants to dismiss his misplaced worries but before he could even utter a word Yunho has led him to the changing room by his arm. He is startled by the contact as they rarely talk alone at work.

"Wait, wait, wait. I can walk there myself. I'll see you after work?"

Yunho released his hold but still let his fingers linger a few milliseconds too long at the back of other's palm.

"My place?"

They part ways after agreeing on going back together.

What they fail to notice is the whole exchange is witnessed by another person from the hidden corner a few meters away.

"Interesting."

***

"Shim Changmin."

"Is there anything else you need, sir?"

At first Taesoo was supposed to take Han Woohyuk's former seat which was next to Changmin's but out of the blue the whole seating arrangement was changed and they are seated the farthest from each other. 

Yunho never said a word about him but Changmin got a feeling it's better for him to keep a distant from him. He tries to keep their interaction bare minimum even after working together for several days already.

"Can you take the witness statements file from Yun- , Lieutenant Jung for me?"

All the other detectives are at their respective desk and Jang Hyunsung, who often handles cases with Changmin, openly frown at the order.

"I can get the file for you, Lieutenant. Changmin has just come back from the files room when you asked him to get closed case files just now."

"Sergeant Jang, there's no need to concern yourself with such measly task. A junior should be fine with this kind of thing. Don't you agree, Corporal Shim?"

Changmin told Yunho he comes to pick up the file because he coincidentally has something to ask him for confirmation. When he passed the file, Taesoo casually told him to go pick up the first witness that reports the case from her home as she is an elderly.

"I think she already told us everything she remembered, lieutenant. Also, it's more appropriate if you can go there yourself if there's some confusion."

"I still have few more witnesses I want to obtain clarification on their statements, chief. We could save more time by gathering them here."

Even if the leader wants to refute his explanation, after reconsidering that he is someone who is valued by the Commissioner General, he ends up letting him has his way. Several detectives are dispatched to collect the witness at work or home and Changmin is one of them.

Taesoo smirks to himself when he looks at Changmin's disappearing figure from above.

"It's a shame you still haven't learned to hide your toy better even when you're this old already, Yunho."

"What did you say, lieutenant?"

"I was just saying, the weather is really nice today, chief."

***

"What are you cooking, Changminnie?"

"Hyung?!"

Changmin finally got his off day on the weekend and with Yunho having to spend the day at his parents' home, he planned to enjoy his time alone with delicious food and maybe some drinks. Never would he expect that Yunho would be there when he has just finished preparing his lunch.

"Aren't you supposed to meet your parents today?"

"I did but I wasn't aware they have invited Park Taesoo to join us so I kinda left using work as excuse."

It would be lying to say he isn't curious about the anonymity between the two between by the look on his face, it doesn't seem like Yunho would like to talk about it either.

"Have you eaten then? I do have extra portion if you want."

"As expected no one can compare to you. Have I told you that I love you the most?"

"Perfunctory words don't work on me anymore, hyung. You gotta work to earn your keep, got it?"

"Yes, sir!"

He gladly returns the proper salute Yunho gives him. Both of them spend the weekends together and neither of them addressed the topic again. Yunho, for all he knows, is still as warm as ever towards him despite the changes at work.

***

"What do you think about Yunho?"

"Pardon?"

It was only him at the pantry when Taesoo approached him with the question.

"What would you do if the seemingly Mr. Perfect isn't as perfect as he seems?"

Remembering Yunho's discontent about the man, Changmin is about to leave the question unanswered and he excused himself when he continues.

"Do you think he wouldn't act against you just because he's nice to you right now? That person is someone who gives a good as he gets - probably even more if he feels like it."

The last sentence is spoken merely a little louder than a whisper but it gives him a vague guess on the cause of bad blood betwee them. Yunho's various faces comes to his mind in instace - happy, grim, gentle, quiet, passion, angry, distant, hurt, playful. The series of images is disturbed by another question.

"Don't you think such a person is so hateful? Putting on a show like-"

"Sorry to interrupt, sir, but I don't think you have the right to judge him in such way. You said that he gives as good as he gets - it's safe to assume that if you feel like you've been wronged by him I assumed that you also have wronged him in a way for him to retaliate."

Changmin immediately leave to get back to his own desk before Taesoo could throw another accusation behind Yunho's back. 

He remembers Woohyuk's conditions when he was brought back to the station and series of his wrongdoings that came to light during his case trial. Everyone feels like it's not a coincidence but no one is foolish enough to point it out.

Being a realistic person as he is, he is not one to romanticize violence and he doesn't know enough to say for sure that the man he loves doesn't have any violence tendencies. 

'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.'

When he was still a child, he often hears the words and as he grew up, he never think it's wrong to fight to defend oneself. Life is about survival of the fittest and as a well read person, he knows the there's only thin line separating the good and bad.

Regarding Yunho, he push the matter at the back of his mind and believes the time would eventually reveals a person's true nature. As a grown man, he's fully responsible for his decision and even if it comes to bite him back later, he wouldn't blame anyone else for it.

***

"I found the similarities between those victims."

Yunho throws a piles of pictures onto the table and calls for everyone to come closer examine them. He gathers the whole team inside the meeting room and hands a copy of general information about the victims to everyone.

"The only similarity is that they were women in their twenties. They were from different backgrounds nor were they associated with each other before."

Taesoo answers flatly from the back while reading the informations without hurry, as all of them have known every details printed on the paper. 

"You forgot to mention that all of them lived with their parents."

"There's nothing special about that. All the victims came from normal family and all of the parents are alive and healthy."

One peculiar thing about Yunho and Taesoo is, despite the mutual hatred between them, it can be said that they tolerate each other decently at professional setting. They never let personal feeling interrupted their ability to accept the other's opinion or suggestion when it comes to work.

Yunho's dislike for him is fairly known as his reaction during the latter's first day there had stirred quite a lot of interest but most assumed it's one sided as Taesoo treats him quite nicely on the surface. It's takes one to be quite observant to realise that he actually slides hidden meaning in between his sentences to evoke reaction from Yunho, though after the first meeting, Yunho is mostly aloof for most of the times towards his provocations.

"What's the common traits that their families or the neighbours used to describe them?"

This time, each of the detectives trying to recall on the statement from the victims' family members. There's nothing out of ordinary about their descriptions either and some voices starts to call out asking Yunho to give clear explanation instead of using questioning method. 

Even Changmin couldn't think of overlaps qualities of they had as none of them works in the same field either. At that time, he hears Jang Hyunsung hesitantly gives an answer.

"It's nothing out of sort but from the statements, all the victims were portrayed as filial daughter. They were also once considered as top students at their respective schools and though two of them didn't continue their study after that, it wasn't because they weren't qualified but it was stated as personal problem."

"Sergeant Jang is right. Two of them didn't pursue their studies after high school but they still had quite a well paying job just like the others. A filial daughter with good salary but they live quite a humble life from what we have seen, weren't they?"

The questions don't make any sense when they were apart but after listening to them one by one, it feels like watching pieces of puzzles being put in place forming a big picture.

"They were the breadwinners of the families, or something like that. I mean, for average families most of them have their own debt and those victims probably gave most of their money to their families, hence they were considered as filial by people around them."

When he first voiced his deduction, Changmin is still unsure about its validity but as he went on, it makes sense more than he thought. Yunho gives him a proud grin when he finished which adds on a sense of assurance in himself.

"That still doesn't mean anything because if it's only based on that, imagine the number of potential victims we would have."

"Lieutenant Park, though they don't live in the same building or work at the same place, it is still in the same district so in their daily lives there would be some intersecting point where they encounter the killer."

The team leader takes the marked map of the location of the places associated with the victims and it's true that when there's nothing in common, the places are neither far apart either and their bodies were discovered near to their home.

"It is normal for criminal to lure the victim to places they are familiar with to lower their guard. The alleys their bodies were discovered at weren't that deserted so the killer probably doesn't have intention to hide them at all."

"This is your speciality so I expect you could list some reasoning on why someone doesn't hide their victim though it could be a risk for them."

Taesoo, who at first doesn't seem convince with Yunho's theory has started to participate actively in the discussion instead of debunking his ideas. He has came forward to have a proper look at the locations marked.

"There could be many reasons for that. They want to glorify it like a trophy, warning to others, guilty of their crime, empathy for the victims."

Jang Hyunsung suddenly pulls out his phone and types something in a hurry as if he noticed something from the map.

"What's wrong, sunbaenim?"

"Living around the same area, the common places they would stop by would probably be one of the shops. For it to become a place where they could be targeted, it must be somewhere the killer could dig information about their lives."

"That would cross out places that one wouldn't frequent often enough to form close relationships. If it's somewhere someone needs to go often, it would be either restaurant or groceries shop."

Other than Yunho and Sergeant Jang, all the other eyes inside the room looks at him in shock, as if they have realised something obvious.

"Then the perpetrator couldn't be fellow customers as it would be impossible to meet every single time they went to the premise so that would reduce the suspect to either the owner or worker at the shop."

"If you're talking about owner of shop, about 5 years ago there was actually a big case at the area where the daughter of the grocery shop's owner attack her own parents before ending her own life."

Changmin is still new so he never heard about it before. For the other seniors, they still remember the gist of the accident but since it was a family's affair, the case wasn't made known to the public at that time.

"Chief, it seems like the store is still operating at the same place. The pattern and area both matched so isn't it too much of a coincidence for it to not be related?"

When the case is solved, it leaves a bitter taste to everyone as unlike people's speculation, the killer isn't a psychopathic man chasing after young girls. Instead, it is a woman in her 50s who lost her daughter 5 years ago due to pressure to support her finally. Her motive was to end the girls' miseries and stops them from living their life for others.

***

When the case is closed, they could finally rest a bit before moving on to other cases. They manage to win back general public's trust with their final media conference when concluding the investigation.

On their way back, Changmin stares at Yunho from the side when he is focusing on the road while driving the car.

"Stop it, Changmin. You are distracting me. Just say whatever on your mind already."

"That time, you purposely explain it by questioning all the facts to let everyone solve it together, didn't you? Why did you do that?"

Yunho only takes a quick glance at him before looking straight ahead again. He doesn't look too happy for someone who has just solved a huge case.

"Actually, I was hoping that my deduction to be false and someone would come up with something more acceptable. For the old lady to go that far when her intention was to give freedom to those victims, it was like a slap to their families as well."

Until now, Changmin himself still couldn't fathom his perception on the case. By law, of course the killer is considered as guilty but from another point of view, the victims actually trusted the store owner a lot to share their struggle to her for it to be the cause of their ends.

"Human's nature is fickle. It would be easy if we could easily differentiate such thing strictly by law and morality but in real life, things are a lot more complicated. For their family to guilt trip them into a lifetime of burden using filial piety as an excuse, the owner would see her method as the only way to help them escape such life."

Changmin noticed how Yunho arched his eyebrow slightly at his comment on the case but he doesn't say anything more afterwards. 

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Not really, I'm just amazed that you could freely share such view with me. Most people usually are too self conscious to say something like that aloud, you know?"

It is only then he is reminded with Taesoo's words about Yunho. It feels like they have accidentally went into the route of discussing about the leniency of their view on one's moral compass.

"Whether I think about it to myself or talk to you about it is a same difference to me. Since it's only us here, for me it's fine to share my personal thought with you."

At that moment, even with his efforts to avoid Changmin's searching gaze, Yunho couldn't hide the bitter smile he has. 

"I'm glad to hear that I'm quite a significant person in your life."

"Why didn't you think you were? We've been together for a while now so that should tell you something."

The subtle twitch of his smile makes him look even lonely but Changmin almost thought he was seeing things because the looks are gone in an instant.

"It's nothing. I'm happy to have you who looks at the same direction as me by my side."

"We'll see if you can say that again when you have me stick to your side for a long time later."

When Yunho hears those words, his smile finally reached his eyes and silently at that moment in the depth of Changmin's heart he thinks that he could stay by his side as long as long as the man is true about his feeling for him and doesn't bring harm to him.

***

"What are you doing here?"

At the lobby of his apartment, Taesoo is already waiting for him in front of the elevator.

"Where did you go only to come back at this hour? I don't remember you as someone who likes to spend time outside that much."

He nonchalantly joins Yunho when he enters the elevator without waiting to be invited. Usually Yunho wouldn't hold back to kick him off but this time he only rolls his eyes and press the button to his floor. Taesoo arched his brow at the respond, or rather lack of it, but doesn't comment on it.

"What do you want?"

Once again he makes himself at home and strides into the place as if they're closed enough for him to do so. Yunho ignores his lack of manner and takes a seat at the couch waiting for the other man to tell him the reason he is 'visiting' him.

"Judging from the arrangement of this place, either you have finally grown up or you have someone do the cleaning for you."

When Yunho chose to ignore him, Taesoo finally takes a seat opposite to Yunho and studies the man carefully.

"Would it be too daring for me to assume that you are serious towards the kid?"

He managed to catch Yunho's attention this time. It doesn't seem like he is mad at that inquiry but he isn't too pleased about it either.

"What do you know and how did you find out about it?"

"You said I'm a pest so it's not that hard for me to sniff such news from miles away. It's your turn to answer my question."

Yunho leans back and still keep his mouth shut regarding the matter. Ever since their younger days, they have always been at odds and he is no stranger to the man's tendency to annoy him. The man is probably among the person who knows about his true nature but despite their estranged relationship, he appreciates that there's no words about it that reached his parents.

"I don't think he is another chess piece in your game as he isn't from any prominent family or someone with sufficient power, isn't he?"

"Don't talk about him like he's an object! You don't have any rights to talk like you know him."

Taesoo whistles at his retaliation, smirking at his out of character response.

"Look who's talking, as if you're one who could lecture me about this. You must be really serious about him, aren't you?"

Yunho knows he has accidentally took the bait and tries to keep his composure. Recalling that one of the reasons of the hostility between them is the other used to keep his eyes on his possessions regardless of their importance, Yunho's expression turns darker.

"Stay away from him. I won't be so generous if you play another trick this time."

"Hold your horses man. You and I, we're both adults now. Do you think I would still take your toys like back then?"

Thinking back about the past, it causes him to feel even more irritated. 

"As if that's the only thing you took from me. What about my father's affection? Aren't you at least gonna apologise about that?"

In his eyes, Taesoo is a like a hidden torn in his heart. He is forced to endure his presence especially in front of his father. It feels like he always has to be better in order to obtain his old man's acknowledgement and fueled by his competitive nature, naturally chasm between them could only grow wider.

The relationship between human is complicated and Taesoo knows he is ruthless on his own when it comes to securing his own wants and needs. It could be said that his way is probably even worse than Yunho's. 

Because of that, he isn't naive enough to trust just anyone and he has long known for the Jung's, he is no more than a tool to push their only son to reach his maximum potential. He never cares to tell Yunho about it because it isn't like he doesn't gain anything from it.

"Whatever. I couldn't believe that you could actually care for someone. Does he knows what you are like?"

Yunho has never considered himself as a bad person as for everything he's done, he only did so because the others offended him first. As for his methods, he does admit that though they usually don't break any laws literally, his underhanded approaches would no doubt receive side eyes from many.

He rarely inflicts physical harms personally to someone as it could be damaging and risky to himself. For him, he likes to see his target actually walks into the trap themselves due to their own stupidity and greed. The only time he doesn't regret such action is when he got the chance to actually delivery some blows to Woohyuk before though he is far from satisfied but since Changmin told him not to do it again, he could only restrain himself.

"He ... he isn't like most. He would understand me."

Taesoo snorts when he stammered and rise to his feet but he stops a bit at the front door.

"It isn't like you to hold on to such uncertainty. It's better for you to not put on too much of hope about it."

***

"Are you avoiding me?"

Standing at his door, Changmin is ready confront the man whom he haven't see properly for a few weeks already. Yunho slowly backs away when he thinks Changmin's posture is almost like a tiger stalking on its prey.

"Are you mad at me or did I do something to anger you? At least talk it out to me so I would know."

"What? No! Where did you get such ridiculous idea."

"What else should I think when you've been constantly 'busy' for how long already."

Changmin emphasised the 'busy' part by air quoting in with both hands. Yunho who was busy retreating away for him almost flies in front of him to hold his hands with something that looks like guilt on his face.

"Why would I be mad at you? It doesn't make any sense nor do I have the reason to."

"Then, why are you avoiding me?"

His body sags in relief and he leans against Yunho to steady himself. Feeling the warm weight against him, Yunho loops his arms around the other body to pull him closer.

"I'm not avoiding you on purpose. It's just..."

"Just what?"

Changmin searches for his face when he paused long enough during the mid sentence. What he sees is surprising because he can clearly see the fear in those black eyes.

"I think it's better this way. I don't want you to detest me later for whatever it is."

This time it's Yunho who got himself pulled into the other's embrace. 

"I would never, hyung! I love you too much for that and I would never leave you unless you no longer want me."

"No! Don't you ever think that way about yourself. I could never not want you, Changmin."

Grasping the back of the tallers's shirt, Yunho hides his face between the crook of his shoulders. He doesn't dare to imagine a future without the man in his arm, though he's only appeared in his life for a short period. He has long forgotten those days where he lived without the person and he doesn't want to relive it either.

"Why are you acting like that? Tell me so we can fix the problem together."

In his biased opinion, Changmin's voice is always a soothing one and he could listen to it all days if possible. It sounds even softer this time as if he tries to melt away his worry though he's not sure how long his boyfriend could feel so for him.

"I'm scared, Changminnie. I'm scared you'd hate me, disgusted with the real me. What if I was never the person you thought me to be?"

For his whole life, he has lived them to match what others expected him to be. As long as he put on the perfect front, he couldn't careless about the ugly things he caused behind the scene. Despite having his hands clear from most of incidents, he couldn't say that he didn't schemed it either. 

For the first time, he is ashamed for his cunning nature because it feels like it's the reason he could never be a person his partner would be proud of. He never cares about such thing before but with Changmin, it's different from everything he has felt before. 

The silence between them is deafening the longer it drags and Changmin could feel how intense the other's heartbeats against his own chest.

"Changmin-"

"Hyung, I fell in love with you because of the man I saw and I'm in love with you for who you are. It doesn't matter how you view yourself, I will always be there for you."

"How could you say that confidently when you don't know what I did in the past?"

Pushing themselves apart, Changmin looks at Yunho with a calm smile, using his fingers to smooth away the frown on the other's face.

"You're not obligated to tell me anything or change yourself for me. I'm a selfish person myself and I don't want to lose you for whatever reason. I'm not perfect and probably you wouldn't agree with my past either but if you can accept me as me, that's enough."

Though Yunho never say it explicitly, he could tell that his boyfriend is the type that always try to fulfil other's expectations of him - no matter at what cost. It probably takes a huge toll on him so he wants to be that person Yunho could be comfortable with as he is.

"You would regret saying thay if you know more about me."

"Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't. Who knows but please know that with me, you don't have to try to be perfect all the time, hyung. I want you to feel like there shouldn't be anything we couldn't talk about between you and me, is that okay?"

With Changmin's firm and steady gaze on him, Yunho pursed his lips at the other's confidence on them - at the things that they have between them. Slowly, he nods his head to assure him.

"If you say so."

Changmin pulls him into another hug but it feels more relaxing this time with both of them are less tense than before.

"That's my man. Do you know how much I missed you all this time, hyung?"

Sensing the sulking tone in his lover's voice, Yunho finally breaks into his usual grin. Closing the distance between their face, he rests his palm on Changmin's jaw and looks at the growing stubbles on his face.

"Forgive this lowly one, your highness. Allow me to make up for it."

***

"How do I look?"

"Fine as hell."

"Changmin, stop joking around. I want you to answer seriously."

"That is as serious as I can get, hyung. Relax a little, this is not even a media conference. My parents would love you."

Yunho checks his look in the mirror once again and fix the nonexistent crease on his shirt.

"Stop it. Anymore perfect than this I'm afraid people would steal you from me."

Changmin pulls him away and drags him to the door before preparing their shoes side by side. He can't help but chuckle at the nervousness Yunho's face. 

"Come on, we're going to be late if we don't leave right now."

"Changminnie?"

"What is it now?"

"I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been missing a lot of things here but this few weeks I been staying quite far away to do some research. It's quiet and peaceful here with beautiful scenery. The reception here is quite bad so thankfully I manage to share this update.
> 
> This place is also famous for its legend - it's said the mountain and lake here was originally a small god and goddess in the past whose love story is still being shared by locals here. Because of the locals consider them as guardian of this place, I think this place is so interesting.
> 
> Anyway, I notice this is my 3rd addition to this arc and since I've wrote 2 chapters for my small homin family (#14 & #16), I feel like writing another chapter for that arc too. Would you be fine with that?
> 
> Anyway, my next update is a new arc and it's my first time writing something like that so please don't hate it too much later on.
> 
> Since I got here, I keep having dreams about them so I actually have quite some stories in my draft. Please bear with my writing later.
> 
> Everyone - please listen to Hot Hot Hot a lot !


	18. arc #18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This sucks. At first it feels like 'not that bad' but it's really bad. I just posted it here because it feels like a waste since it's completed.

Changmin has never experienced a quiet life, literally. He has lived his whole life with countless strangers' voices in his head, coming from every single people around him daily. It's not something he could control but he could listen to one's inner thought especially if he looks into their eyes.

He can't really pinpoint the exact moment when he starts to have the 'gift', as his parents would call it, but it makes him grow into a hard-headed person. He could always tell whenever someone lies to him and because of that, he never really put unrealistic hope on anything because he realised since long ago most people would say one thing but keep a different thought to themselves.

His parents might call it as a gift as much as they want, but they always remind him since he was a little boy to keep the ability a secret from others. That's when he knows he's different. He could hear their worries when they tried to convince the young him that he's normal just like everyone else. It doesn't offend him as their intentions were good, and as he grows up he learnt that not everyone are as nice as they seem to be.

No matter how long Changmin has lived with it, he could never get used to the continuous buzzing noise and it could drain him if he spent a long day in the crowd or public space. It makes him feels both physically and mentally exhausted.

It isn't that he has any choice but to go through his day like others would. It isn't his choice either when he was rushing to go out of the house that morning he happened to forget his earphones, his only escape if only to drown the noise by a tiny bit. Surrendering to his misfortune, he cursed profusely while running to the station hoping he would at least make it on time so his suffering would be worth it.

"You look fidgety than usual today, hyung."

Minho comments when he sees Changmin keep moving in his seat during the whole class, unlike his usual self. They're halfway through the day and all he wants to do is locked himself in the comfort of his room.

"I pulled an all nighter yesterday so I can't wait to get done with everything today. I want get back all those lost sleep."

He's not exactly lying since it's one of the reason he was almost late that morning which has lead him to his current predicament. When the elevator doors slides open, there is already quite a number of students inside but Minho pulls him along to squeeze into it and he's already dreading the few seconds ride till they reach their floor.

Changmin is pushed to another person at the corner but he almost jumped in surprise for a different reason because suddenly the constant noise in his head disappears. For the first time the only thing he hears is his own inner thought.

He doesn't have enough time to process the unexpected bliss of the silence when Minho hooks their arms together to drag him out when he looks like he's in trance. The noise returns just as he takes the first step away that it hurts his head with the sudden invasion. 

"Come on, hyung. The professor would be mad if we makes him wait."

While trying to hide his headache, Changmin forced a wry smile and hold on to Minho while they make the trip to the office. He couldn't remember anything from the meeting but one thing for sure, he is curious of the reason for the sudden disappearance of the noise inside his head earlier.

***

"Why do I have to pick up the notes for you?"

"My kindest, most amazing friend Shim Chwang, please do me a favour this time and I swear I'll repay you when you need help later!"

"That doesn't sound convincing but because I'm a good friend, make sure you keep the promise. Enjoy your time there, dude."

Changmin ends the call before Kyuhyun could curse at him. The man has been spending a good portion of his days going back and forth to the bathroom. They probably had been drinking and eating a little bit too much during the weekend and Kyuhyun has been the only one affected by it, fortunately.

His friends has asked him to receive an important tips notes from his senior, who has taken the same class before with the current one Kyuhyun is taking. He would prefer not to walk to another faculty building but considering that he played a minor part in his friend's condition, he decided to take a bit responsibility on that.

While he is waiting in front of the building, he has his earphones on as usual while looking at people passing by. He doesn't know how does the senior looks like though he often hear Kyuhyun mentioned about him. His best friend isn't exactly a naive type but Changmin for sure knows how much he respects and adores that particular senior, it's almost like he's a fan of him.

Around 10 minutes of waiting, he can see a confused looking guy from afar walking checking the face of every person's he walked by. Probably because he's quite tall, it becomes quite obvious when he tries to peek down to look at others and Changmin assumes the man is the person he's been waiting for.

He stands up and at the same time the guy look at his direction. It seems that as if both of them have figured out the same thing so they walk toward each other.

"Changmin?"

"That's me. Kyuhyun is sorry he couldn't come in person."

Yunho, whom he learnt through Kyuhyun's stories, as expected good naturedly waved it off. He rarely hold ones down for little things, unlike certain seniors, according to his friend.

"Tell Kyuhyun I hope he would get better soon."

When Yunho passed the book to him, he pats his hand in a friendly way. During that brief moment, he can feel his head clears up immediately causing him to grips the other's hand. Yunho looks shock at his action but he doesn't pull away his hand either.

"Err... this might sound weird but did you go to student information centre the other day?"

His tight hold on the hand doesn't relent as he experiences the much needed silence. 

"Yes, actually. How did you know?"

"I probably meet you there, I think."

It takes several seconds before he could answer Yunho as everything feels surreal. Yunho is probably the person he was in contact when in the elevator, though he doesn't know why he reacts like that to the touch.

"Is there something wrong, Changmin? You look ... terrified?"

Changmin tries to clear his head from all the why's and shake his head at Yunho's concerned gaze at him. Probably Yunho would think he has some lose screws when he saw him lost in his own thoughts when they were speaking.

"Yes! I mean no, I'm good. I'm fine, don't worry."

It doesn't look like Yunho believes his words when the man keeps looking at him as if to see if he hurts his head somewhere. Changmin has to nod his head several times to convince him.

"It's a relief to hear. I have another class in a few minutes. I'll see you around?"

He nods, with more enthusiasm, to agree excitedly at the suggestion knowing that he now has chance to feel normal, no matter even if it's only for few seconds even if he still couldn't determine the reason.

"Alright, see you again next time."

For the short moments, he feels weirded out when Yunho still stare at him with a smile on his face until he noticed that he is still holding the other's hand.

"I can't leave without my hand, don't I?"

"Ah, sorry! I didn't realise I was still holding it."

The moment they lost the physical contact, the dreading thoughts from others surrounding him comes back instantly. Yunho probably see something on his face that makes him give another kind smile to him before leaving.

When Yunho has turned away, Changmin finally realised that Yunho always maintain eye contact when talking to him and even then he couldn't hear Yunho's thoughts. Not even once, even when he's not holding his hand.

For his whole life, he has always known people's motives and feelings but for the first time, he anticipates that he has a chance to learn about it in normal methods.

***

"Why do you want to tag along?"

They've been arguing about in on the phone several times that week since he heard about Kyuhyun will go out having drinks with fellow students in his department.

"Why can't I go? You let Minho joined you before too."

"Minho usually doesn't avoid interacting with other people. But you, why did you suddenly want to come?"

They've been throwing unanswered questions back and forth towards each other with Changmin trying to convince him and Kyuhyun doubting his intentions.

"Remember when you invited me last time and I rejected it? I took it back so now you're taking me along. I'll meet you at the station at 7. Thanks, man!"

He cut the call before Kyuhyun could come up with another reply. On the other side of the line, Kyuhyun stares at his phone screen in disbelief at the forced agreement.

For someone who usually hates to be around a lot of people, Changmin almost feels overwhelms once they arrive. Not only he has to bear with the loud physical noise, the voices in his head become increasingly louder and he knows that it would only get worse when those people are drunk later.

"It's not to late to back off, you know."

"Nah, I think I'm starting to enjoy this."

He ignores Kyuhyun's offer for him to leave and scans around the room to find Yunho but he is nowhere to be found. It only takes a few seconds for him to realise he probably makes a mistake as not necessarily everyone would show up. 

Changmin is about to ditch his friend and calls it a night when Kyuhyun practically shouts, both externally and mentally, right next to his ears.

"Yunho hyung!"

At the entrance, Yunho readily reciprocates Kyuhyun wave and walks towards them after greeting his fellow friends.

"Hello, Kyuhyun.This is the first time you brought this friend here."

"Changmin insists on coming so -"

"I did not."

Kyuhyun looks at him with flabbergasted face at his shameless lie. Changmin keep his reaction neutral despite his friend accusing stare.

"Kyuhyun keeps pestering for me to join him."

Kyuhyun is still speechless when Yunho already pat Changmin's back in understanding.

"He's a good friend, isn't he? One of my favourite underclassman for a reason."

Changmin cannot stop from preening at the success of his plan. Just from the touch, the only sounds he hear is the talking voices nearest to them.

"Thank you for the notes the other day, hyung. It does help me a lot with the quiz."

"It's good that you could make use of it. Enjoy your time here today, I'm going to join my friends over there."

And just like that, Yunho disappears among the other people inside the room. Changmin's smile falls once the noise are back in his head.

"What was that, dude? You clearly forced me to take you here."

"Does it matter? Come on, let's get some booze."

As time flies, the drunkards are separated into two types - the ones who passed out or the ones who incessantly makes loud commotion.

"Are you guys going home already?"

Walking at the corridor with a drunk Kyuhyun chattering nonsense in his ear, Changmin feels like the voice is his savior during the hard time. With his slightly blurry sense, he immediately let go of his hold on Kyuhyun and clings to whatever body's part of the owner of the voice as fast as he could.

"Hyung~~"

As Changmin is practically clinging to him like a koala, Yunho who wasn't prepared for the extra weight falls to the ground together with him on top on him.

"Okay, at least now I knew that you're this type of drunk. Do you guys need a ride home?"

Yunho only laugh at the dazed hummed he received.

"I assume you would. Come on, let me drive you two back."

Suddenly Kyuhyun points a finger at him in slurring warning.

"Drunk driving is bad!"

"I didn't touch a single drop of alcohol just now. Let's go, I'm not this generous to everyone."

With Changmin is still holding tight on him, Yunho slowly rose from the hard floor and helps the other two to get to his car. While Kyuhyun obediently get into the backseat, the other person is still refusing to release him metal grips so they could only enter the car with much difficulty.

Having Changmin leaning to his shoulder during the entire way back to Kyuhyun's place, which the other is still able to tell him throughout his giggling fit. The original plan was to drop Changmin's at his friend's since he clearly isn't lucid enough to say anything other than muttering something unrecognisable, the plan fell through when he wouldn't let go of Yunho.

After much consideration, he has to bring the man back to his place and end up letting him clinging to him throughout the night. Before he fell asleep, he let his eyes wander on the face next to him.

'Why can't I see through this person?'

*** 

Changmin wakes up the next day with a killer headache but it's not the most shocking part. He knew that he often blackout whenever he is drunk because it's his way to ignore the noises in his head but he was never drunk enough to creep his way into a foreign place.

He scans through his surrounding and tries to figure out how did he get there when someone enters the room.

"Did you have enough rest?"

Yunho walks into the room looking casual with his hair down and a mug in his hand.

"Thankfully you don't have the same strength in the morning as last night or else I have to pull off my arm to get up from the bed."

Without wasting any more time, Changmin jumps out of the bed in haste but he stumbles a few steps backwards due to the pounding in his head.

"Careful. It's weekend so no need to rush. My kitchen lacks a lot of ingredients so I could only prepare some drinks to help with your hangover."

After helping Changmin back to the bedside, Yunho put the mug into his hand. Whether it is intentional or not, he let his hand rest on the other's thigh while both of Changmin hand is occupied.

"I, did I do anything weird last night?"

He hesitantly peered to look at Yunho to gauge his reaction but there isn't much change in his expression.

"Other than attempting to wrestle off my arm?"

He takes the chance to make fun of the younger guy and pleased with himself when the tip of his ears reddened. Changmin straightened his posture and clear his throat to avoid being gazed by the other.

"Ahem, I'm totally sorry for that. I can get quite clingy when drunk."

What Yunho didn't tell him is that he is also extremely chatty when drunk. He smiles to himself as if keeping a precious secret to himself.

"Since we're both guy and I kinda know that you're not some bad person, I forgive you for that. It would be troublesome if you did it to someone else."

"Thank you for taking care of me, hyung."

Changmin's flustered reaction unconsciously awaken protective instincts in him towards the younger. He hurries to exit the room to give him space.

"Don't mention it, take your time to collect yourself. I can send you back later."

***

Changmin takes every chances presented to him and more in order to get close to the senior. During every breaks, he can be spotted loitering at the other's faculty building using meeting Kyuhyun as an excuse. Once he caught sight of Yunho, he would ditch his friend without any qualms.

Towards the newly formed attachment, Yunho indulges him without any questions. He doesn't have the right to call Changmin out for using him when he is equally curious on his failure to unravel through the other.

Changmin's presence in his daily life immediately become something he is used to. Though he isn't particularly sincere in letting the other to be around him at first due to his inability to discern through him, after a while he would let his eyes wander to find the tall figure around the campus ground.

That day, he hangs around the main office building with his other friend when he saw him. Changmin, though surrounded by his own group of friend, clearly looks distress and Yunho let put a heavy sigh when he looks at the amount of students gather at the floor. He slips away from his group and quietly approach the other and let their hands brush against each other.

"What's bothering you?"

"Hyung!"

Changmin brighten up at Yunho's sudden appearance by his side and spontaneously grab him by the wrist. His previous agitation calms down considerably just when he hears the other's voice. When they stick with each other the entire time, none of their friends question it as they're used to such ordeal though Changmin does received some side glares from Kyuhyun for stealing his favourite senior.

"Our department is going to organise a festival in two weeks, you can come to join us if you're free."

Usually he is the kind of person who would ditch his own department events but he accepts the invitation without a second thought. It cause Kyuhyun to make double take at him but he convinced himself it is important for him to gain trust from the man if he still wants to depend on him in the future.

***

"I can't believe you come for real."

Changmin takes the entrance sticker from his friend and sticks it to his shirt. He brings Minho along to accompany him that night.

"I heard there's going to be a lot of food and games, so why not?"

"Food and games, yeah. Keep telling yourself that, Shim."

"What do you mean?"

Noticing that they're blocking the way, Minho pulls Changmin away without waiting for further replies from Kyuhyun. Both of them are excited at the lines of booths along the way. As there's loud music from the performing band playing in the background, Changmin takes off his earphones and let Minho drag him around to play the games.

It isn't until they reach the haunted house that he finally sees Yunho. Though Yunho hasn't noticed him yet, Changmin can't help but break into huge grin. 

"Do you want me to go somewhere else?"

"Why would you?"

"I assume you want to be alone with Yunho hyung. That's cool, I can get something to eat while you're with him."

His jaw drops at the misunderstanding his younger friend has about them. He quickly denies what the younger has in mind.

"Don't be silly, people would get wrong idea if they heard you said something like that."

"I thought it's no longer a secret?"

Changmin could only shake his head in horror at how unconcerned Minho is about the matter. When Yunho joins them, Minho happily makes some space at his side.

"Are you going to try our haunted house? Our theme tonight is insane asylum."

Minho seems eager to give it a try, which he eventually roped Changmin to join as his partner. It isn't supposed to be a problem for him as though he is easily startled, he can still sense people's presence around him by listening to their mind.

Yunho takes both of them to the entrance and before he let him go, he takes quick look at his outfit.

"You need thicker clothes to go inside, they set the temperature quite low in there."

"Guess I'll have to make do with this, I can't make clothes appear out of thin air."

He doesn't expect Yunho to take off his own hoodie and slip it on his head. Minho who is waiting next to them suddenly has unexplainable fixation at the passes in his hand, reading every letters with much interest without moving his head.

"Put this on. You shouldn't rush through the route if you want to enjoy it."

After that, he leaves to join the other crews. It could be his eyes playing tricks on him but as Yunho turned around, Changmin thinks that his face is a little red than usual.

"Can we enter now?"

It is only then Minho functions normally and hands him his ticket. 

The music inside is much louder than he expected but Changmin could still detect the 'ghosts' presence by putting more effort on his sixth sense. Originally a jumpy person, he still couldn't escape the whole paths unscathed despite with some cheating. His surprise is more due to Minho grabbing at him or shouting into his ears everytime something jumps out.

After the last obstacle, they almost reached the end which is one door away from the exit. The music cannot be heard at the area and they could finally take sigh of relief.

Out of nowhere without any cue, a figure spook them from behind and Changmin punched it away from him out of reflex.

He doesn't realised that he already close his eyes in shock until he hears a teasing voice.

"Hey, you're a strong one, aren't you?"

It is then he knows why he couldn't hear anything prior to the ambush.

Changmin : ( °◊° )

Minho is nowhere in sight as he already bolts away for his life with all the strength he has left in him. What he thought as Changmin's hand that he drags along with him is one of the dummy's loose arms causing him flop to the ground, his soul barely hanging onto his body.

"Are you okay? My bad, I didn't know you would be so shocked."

Even when his apology sounds sincere, Changmin can see that Yunho has not wipe away the smile on his lips. For that, he throws the nearest thing from the wall as a comeback.

"You're lucky that I only throw light punch at you."

"That's what you get for using hidden tricks. And for your information, that is not light punches either."

Yunho helps Changmin to untangle the fake spider webs that's dangling around his body from the entire exploration. When his fingers stops at the side of the other's eyes, Changmin let his eyes look straight to the front and they both got caught in each other's stares.

"Changmin hyung! Are you still inside??"

At Minho's loud voice, Yunho put a distant between them and dusts off his own hands.

"Minho must have ran off earlier. Go out before he turns this place upside down looking for you."

When Changmin is still looking at him, refusing to move from his spot, Yunho pulls him along guiding him to the exit.

"Don't worry, there's no more trap. This is the real exit."

As soon as they appear, Minho runs to hug him in relief. When he turns back, Yunho has regroup with his fellow 'ghosts' and re-enter their 'nest'.

"Sorry for leaving you alone, hyung. I thought I did grab you away at that time."

"Don't worry about it. What game should we try next?"

"Kyu hyung said he is done with his shift. Let's grab some food with him first."

He isn't as excited as before as he could only think about Yunho's word toward him just now. Turning around once more, he gazed at the place Yunho stood before clenching him fist anxiously.

***

"Hey, dude. Your boyfriend is here."

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Fine. Dude, your husband is here."

Rolling his eyes at his friends' ceaseless taunting, he left them and carefully taps the younger man's shoulder to get his attention

"Kyuhyun doesn't has any class right now."

"I know, I come to meet you. You're done for today, right?"

Looking at Changmin's complexion, he doesn't think he wants to talk about mundane stuff with him. He signals for his friends to leave without him and follows wherever Changmin is taking him.

"You knew about it all along?"

Neither of them stop in their walk nor does Yunho looks surprise at Changmin's sudden question.

"You gonna be mad if I ask what you're talking about right now, wouldn't you?"

"You're too smart for that."

Though Changmin still sound tense compare to his usual self, Yunho could almost hear the smile threatening to escape from his voice.

"Well, you rattle out everything during the first time you followed me home. I thought that was supposed to be your type of joke but as I observed you..."

This time Yunho stops and let Changmin has his back towards him.

"I realised you were actually telling the truth."

From his spot, he could see how the other's hands tremble badly before he settles with gripping his bag strap.

"Then?"

This time he genuinely couldn't guess what Changmin is trying to say thus he takes his time to decipher the question but he still couldn't come up with anything.

"Then? What is 'then'?"

"What happened then? Why did you let me hang around you then?"

"Nothing happened. That was it. Why shouldn't I let you be around?"

At this point Changmin finally looks like he has enough of him. He turns only to grab Yunho by the shoulder, his fingers grasping at the fabric.

"You just let me used you without trying to get back at me?"

Unlike his voice that is laced with anger, Yunho can see the insecurity in the big brown eyes. Just as he is about to lose himself in the view, they are startled with a squeal not far away from them.

A group of students has accidentally drops what looks like a bunch of calligraphy scrolls. Judging from their conducts, they're probably freshmen who still haven't got used to the place yet. 

Yunho put Changmin's hand down before rushing to help them collecting the scrolls from the ground to avoid it getting dirtied. Soon Changmin also joins them and they manage to get it done in short time.

After the group left, Yunho points at them from the back and told Changmin each of their names, age and department.

"That guy? He was kicked out from his home because his family doesn't approve of his choice of major. And that girl, this is her first time at Seoul and she still thinks city people are scary."

Changmin frowns as the explanation went on until he has to hold up his palms asking Yunho to stop his rambling about random people.

"Why are you telling me this? Is this your way to say that you can accept any type of people as your friend cause I think that my situation is very different from them."

"They're not my friends and I don't think that I ever met them before."

This time he looks at Yunho as if he's the weird one. Yunho chuckles lightly when the Changmin's frown increasingly deepen.

"To be fair, since I know your secret you deserve to know mine too."

"Which is?"

"I just know all that things I told you about those juniors just now, when I touched their hands while passing them their stuffs. If your power is to hear people's thoughts, mine is knowing their past, or anything that is significant in their life. Well, except you."

"Huh?"

Changmin becomes even more curious on the topic but when a group of students walk past them, he pursed his lips to stop himself from throwing a series of question. They really pick the worst place to talk about such matter.

"Yeah, that was my reaction too when I couldn't see a thing about you when we first had skin contacts."

"How is something like that possible? Looking into someone's life like that?"

"Hey, you aren't one to talk."

There isn't any heat in his voice when he told off Changmin for that, telling that he isn't bothered by the remark. Despite it being quite strange traits, Yunho seems fine with talking about it.

"Are you used to talk about this to others?"

"No, you are the first. My parents said most people would get creeped out by it so it's better if they don't know."

Changmin nods understandingly at the dilemma because it's exactly why he doesn't talk about it even to his best friends. When he looks at Yunho, he is taken aback by his reaction like he's expecting something from him.

"Why are you so excited about this?"

"Now that we talk it out, I think, we could start over. Like everyone else."

They stop once again in their track. Changmin paused at Yunho's excitement with him still holding a little bit at the other's arm.

"You must have such thoughts right? Getting to know someone else in traditional way and not barging through their mind. You are my chance to be the closest I could to feel 'normal'."

It's what people would think so naturally such thought has crossed his mind before. He brushed it off as another foolish hope but maybe it's not so foolish that he now shares the dream with another person.

"So, friend?"

"Friend."

***

"They aren't here, yet?"

"It's rare for them to be late."

"It's been awhile since we last meet up, everyone's been busy."

"Those two, aren't they going to actually announce their relationship officially to us?"

"They will tell us about it someday I guess."

"You know that Changmin is quite an airhead though he seems smart, right? Yunho hyung probably thought we have heard from him about it or something."

"We've been to his house and we both know there's Yunho hyung's things there. Maybe they would tell us when they move in together later."

"They're practically living together already."

***

"Welcome home."

"You're early."

After placing his bag and coat on the single couch, he joins Yunho sitting on the floor and loosen his tie.

"Tiring day at work?"

"When does it not. It would help a lot of they could be thinking less."

Yunho pulls Changmin to rest his head on shoulder. He takes the advantage to play with the man's short hair like patting on a cat's fur.

"It's not like you go to the office often. Working from home is really the most suitable for you."

Changmin who now has totally making himself comfortable half laying at Yunho's side, twist his body to lower his head onto the other's lap to talk to him properly.

"Hyung, let's go on a vacation together."

"Oh? Has my Changminnie look into my mind? I do plan to ask you to go on one. I even got some travelogues to look where we should go."

He shows the cover of the book he's been reading while waiting for Changmin to come home just now. 

Grabbing at the book into his own hands, Changmin pulls Yunho's hand along into his hold while skimming through the book.

"Between us, is there a need for us to use our power though?"

"It's good that it on each other. At least we got to fight on things sometime, right?"

"Silly."

Yunho pinches both Changmin's cheeks to hold him still but when the younger laughs from the ticklish touches, he smiles helplessly to himself.

Surprisingly, they turn out alright after all those years together. Starting out from friends, it took years for them to squeeze out the confessions from each other to move on to different stage of their relationship. It naturally involves quite a number of arguments in between but eventually they survive those period. 

If anyone ask him now, he wouldn't trade those memories for anything. It's fine if they doesn't go through everything smoothly like they could have if they end up with another people because he learnt that the fighting actually makes them become even closer.

Even now, there's still things they don't know about the other or habits that they couldn't comprehend but he thinks that it's fine. They have the whole lifetime to get used to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay - I just miss Tohoshinki a lot of these few days I'm in Tohoheaven to know they've been staying at Japan - probably preparing for new things for us or whatever 😁😁


	19. arc #19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not only the weather is extra hot today, there's also fire at the neighbouring forest. Am I cursed after listening to Hot Hot Hot for days now :P
> 
> Anyway, just another short update here. Why? It's because I have work due this week and I'm just running from responsibility ^^

He can still remember the day when he first met him. Just like today, it was also raining that day. Merely a light rain, not more than a drizzle that gives off illusion of misting to the surrounding.

Yunho stops in his track, holding his breath when he sees the familiar tall stature at the spot. The person stands still at the side of the field, as if he doesn't notice the rainfall.

Probably sensing he is no longer alone, the man turns around and he looks equally shocked to see Yunho staring at him.

Yunho takes his next steps lightly, slowly approaching the man, almost like he is scared he would run away. When he are within an arm length, the man inhales shakily before asking in him in a trembling voice.

"You can see me?"

He doesn't trust himself to speak so Yunho could only nod as an answer. Their eyes haven't left the each others, both trying to repressed their respective emotions at the other's sight.

"At least I know I still exist."

Yunho managed to catch his words though he only meant to say it to himself.

"What do you mean?"

His voice is heavy with sorrow, that it clearly breaks when he starts speaking. He still doesn't dare to reach out his hand to touch the figure in front of him, fearing that he would only grab nothing but thin air.

"I've been wandering around for days - no, weeks, but it seems like that I have become invisible. I don't know where my family is. There's someone else living at our house when I go there. I can't even see my own reflection in the mirror or anywhere."

Yunho takes in everything he has to say and tries to process the story. He finally noticed that his silence has been interpreted wrongly by the other party.

"You probably think I'm crazy. You don't even know me and suddenly I'm talking about such absurd things."

"I believe you, Changmin. I trust you."

This is the second time on that day Changmin looks at him with wide opened eyes. Like a deer in headlights, Yunho thought to himself.

"How - how did you know my name?"

"Of course I know you. Your name is Shim Changmin. You always stayback to watch our practice and you would stand right at this spot every time."

Yunho forced himself to smile though he's sure his smile is crooked in every wrong way. He once said the exact same line at the very same place, many years ago.

Changmin's surprised looks more comical as he speaks, his lips quivers to deny the accusations.

"I didn't stay to watch you guys practise on purpose. I was ... I was killing time while waiting for the bus."

That was also the exact same response he received back then. Yunho smiles sadly because he remembers clearly how the conversation went at that time.

_'You ride a bicycle to school though?'_

His innocent question at that time caused the person to turn red in embarrassment and scrambled away, leaving Yunho to stare amusedly in his direction.

"If you say so."

Judging from his expressions, Changmin doesn't seemed satisfied with his answer but he isnt saying anything either.

"Do you want to come with me?"

Changmin readily agrees and they walk away together. He is walking towards his car when he feels someone tugs the corner of his sleeve.

"Where are you heading to? The exit is this way."

Changmin looks at him weirdly and points at the school gate. Yunho looks at the fingers that are still gripping his sleeve and contemplates for a moment.

He immediately released his hold when he notice Yunho's gaze and shifts from one foot to the other awkwardly.

"Were you going to walk around the school area?"

"No, we're going to go out. I didn't notice I has walked passed the gate already."

They don't have to wait long because the bus coincidentally has just arrived when they walked out. Yunho instinctively reached to grab Changmin's hand and pull him to jog along at the same space so they would make it in time.

They pick the seats at the back with Yunho leading them by walking at the front. Once they are seated, Changmin slowly pulls his hand away from Yunho's grip.

"People were staring. To them it looks like you were dragging nothing."

Only then he realised that he was actually holding the other by his hand. It is something he has done countless time that he did it mindlessly out of habit.

"I'd rather they stare at me strangely than risking leaving you behind."

He looks at his side and he can see that Changmin is staring at him with curiosity.

"We only met just now. How come you are so concerned about me?"

Behind those questioning eyes, Yunho can almost see a flicker of hope in them that it makes his heart clenched.

"I don't need a reason to. I will always care for you."

His answer successfully makes Changmin flustered. He pretends to be interested at the view outside to hide his warming face from Yunho.

"Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere is fine. I'll follow you wherever you decide to go."

Changmin might be talking about their stop but Yunho suddenly recalls a memory from recent years.

_An image of lazy days spent on bed with a comforting warmth by his side, watching from one movie to next. That night, it was his partner's turn to pick a movie. Star Trek. It is sort of expected when it comes to the person. During a scene where Kirk and Spock were the only ones who share mutual understanding, he hears a comment coming from the side._

_'I would follow you to the end of the earth, you know. With only mild complaining, surely, but still.'_

_Yunho teased him for the sudden declaration. He pulled his lover to rest his head on his chest, fingers naturally play with his hair._

_'Glad to hear that. I don't really have any plan to go anywhere that don't have you waiting for me.'_

Those memories almost feels like they are from a lifetime ago when only a few years have passed. He once promised the other for forever but unconsciously those vows were slowly being buried at the back of his mind.

"There's one place I want to go with you."

A karaoke place. He used to frequent here as a student, especially during his last year of high school and his college years. It was always the same person accompanying him.

"Yunho! It's been ages since you last came."

"Hello, I'm glad to see you also haven't changed."

"Sweet talker. Are you alone today?"

"Yes, can I have the usual room?"

"Can't say no to my favourite customer. It's a bit lonely without you two here."

"I'll try to visit more often next time."

Yunho glanced at Changmin who is quiet the whole time they were at the counter. He looks around the room before his eyes land on the microphones on the table.

"Do you like to sing?"

"Quite a lot. More importantly, today I want to hear you sing."

Changmin clearly isn't entertained by his request because he openly shows his reluctance.

"I'm not good at singing."

"I don't think so. You look like you have an amazing singing voice."

"I wonder where do you see such things."

Yunho gives in and sing a couple of songs by himself at first. After a bit more coaxing, Changmin finally agrees to sing a duet with him. At the end of the song, he can't stop a lone tear from falling so he busies himself with pretense of searching for the next song.

They spend an extra hour there when he saw that Changmin has started to have fun with various kind of songs. Along the changing flow of songs, Changmin's confidence to sing in front of him slowly grew.

"Do you still want to follow me?"

"Do you still want me to go with you?"

"Without a doubt."

Their next stop only requires a short walk from the karaoke place. Changmin bumps into Yunho when he stops without a warning.

"Let's go in."

"Fortune teller? Are you serious?"

"Why not? It's fun. It's not a big deal, we don't have to take the reading seriously."

It is much dimmer inside more than they expected. At a small round table in the middle of the shop, there's an old woman sitting there with her eyes closed.

"I don't think this is a good idea."

"Shh."

Yunho silently takes a seat in front of her. Changmin hesitantly stands behind him, eyeing the woman suspiciously.

"What are you doing here?"

Finally, she opens her eyes but the way she glares at Yunho could make Changmin shivers to his bone if he has a real body.

"It says this is a fortune teller shop, can you do a reading for me?"

"Didn't I already do it once for you back then? It still the same as before, if you're not careful, you would lose something that is the most precious to you."

Yunho is stunned when she said the same thing as the first time he entered this small alley place before. When she doesn't say anything more, he thought to himself that she probably said the same thing to everyone and it was just by random chance that she guessed that he had visited before.

When it doesn't seem like she's interested in dealing with him, Changmin pokes his shoulder, signalling for them to leave. He leaves a few notes on the table and when he is by the door, he hears her calls out to him.

"Young man, you shouldn't wander in places you don't belong. You've made people wait long enough."

At first, he thought she's scolding him but when he looks at her, he realised that she's not looking at him but rather at the man behind him. He instantly pulls Changmin away from there as fast as he could.

"That was creepy."

"I should've listened to you."

Yunho doesn't want to know what does she meant by 'places you don't belong'. Sometimes, there are things that is better off without knowing its detail.

"There's another place I want to take you to. Let's go."

Instead of taking the bus, they head to the next destination by taxi this time. Both of them are silent to avoid the driver's suspicions.

Half way through the drive, he got bored of staying still so he sneakily holds Changmin's hand that is situated between them. He ignores Changmin's effort to wriggle free and holds on tighter by interlocking their fingers together. From the corner of his eyes, he could see that Changmin is looking at him before letting it be. Before they exit the vehicle, Yunho can feel that Changmin squeezing his hand gently, a reply to his touch.

"What movie do you want to watch?"

"That horror movie looks interesting."

"I'm not good with scary movies though. Can we just watch animation movie instead?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Aren't you older than me? Whatever, you're the one who's paying for ticket."

Yunho let's out a small laugh when he hears Changmin making fun of his choice. They're standing at the corner so he thinks it's safe for him to react so.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Nothing. Stay here, let me get the ticket first."

Just as he expected, Changmin actually enjoys the movie a lot more than he shows. While Changmin is immersed when watching the movie, Yunho is hyper aware of every little reactions he make.

_'Hyung.'_

_'Jung Yunho, wake up.'_

_'Is it morning already?'_

_'No, it's 2.57a.m. Hyung, the bathroom light won't turn on.'_

_'Okay.'_

_'Hyung!'_

_'We'll replace it tomorrow, okay? Let's sleep.'_

_'Can you walk me to the one outside? I'll be quick.'_

_When there's still no responds, he runs out of patience and pulls the blanket away from Yunho to force him awake. He shivers when the cold air hit his skin and finally blinked awake._

_"Good, you're up. Now let's go to the toilet before I wet the bed.'_

_He walked out and drag along his pillow with him. While waiting by the door outside, he makes a mental note for reference in the future. No horror movie before bed!_

"Where are we going next?"

"Don't you want to meet your parents?"

"You know where to find them?"

They take a bus this time because he knows it's impossible for Changmin to not notice anything by now. Without looking at the man, he can feel the piercing gaze being directed at him.

"How do you know my parents?"

"I've met them before."

"How did you meet them? No, let's start from the beginning. I'm not blind, I can see that you're an adult and not a high school boy that I remember. That means a lot of time has passed right? Are we friend or something? Is that why you know my name earlier?"

Even after doing a lot of things together today, Yunho still can't believe that he actually got another chance to him. To talk, to laugh, to act like nothing happened.

"I'll tell you everything once you meet them. There's one thing I can tell you now, though. I know your name way before we start talking to each other, just like how you also know mine."

There's still many things he wants to ask but when he noticed the building they're approaching, his face pales.

"Why are we here? Are my parents okay? Tell me they are fine!"

This time Yunho walks out of the bus straight into the hospital hand in hand with Changmin, uncaring of some curious stares and whispers from people they walk past.

When he's about to answer Changmin, there's a pair of middle aged couple walk towards him.

"Yunho. How was your day?"

At his side, Changmin watched how easily his mom pulls Yunho to give him a hug. His dad also casually chats with him as if they've long known each other.

He could only watch everything as an outsider, as no one but Yunho can see him standing there. Although his parents look a little older than he last saw them, at least he can tell that they're in great health.

"Is it fine if we go back first?"

"It's okay. I'll call later when I got back home."

And just like that, his parents walk away leaving him without giving him a single glance. He looks at Yunho hoping that the man can give him answers for all the questions he has as he is his only hope right now.

He continues to follow Yunho for a bit more, keeping his eyes on the ground. He only looks up when Yunho halt to a stop and only then that he noticed they have entered a room.

"What are -"

That's when he saw it. The gentle look in Yunho's eyes when looking at the man. He bends down to kiss him on the forehead.

The person on the bed is him. His face more or less is still the same but it's obvious that he is also around Yunho's age.

"I know your parents because you are the one who introduced me to them. It's been a long time since you and I are not just friend, Changmin-ah."

It is then he realised why Yunho doesn't mind having to hold his hand a lot of times today. Even now, when he is talking to him he is holding the unconscious Changmin's hand. It is hard to explain but he envied Yunho's devotion for the other him.

"You said that you can't look at your own reflection. If you could see yourself right now, you would know this is how you look. Your memories might be that of the teenage you but you are the same person as this Changmin."

"What is happening? How do I get back my body?"

He slowly comes closer to the bed. The more he looks at the person, the more he is convinced that this could be some sick jokes. It's technically impossible for them to be the same person. He's been roaming around for quite some times, how could it be at the same time he is also here.

"I don't know, Changmin. All I know, this is the third time I met this version of you."

"Third time? You must have been mistaken. I never even speak to you before today."

Changmin want to recall any encounters or memories with Yunho but no matter how hard he tries, he can't remember anything.

When he wants to deny it again, Yunho is faster to cut him off.

"This morning, you lied when you said you were killing time waiting for the bus. You went to school by bike. You enjoy singing, a lot! We always went to that place whenever it's just us. You said I'm being sappy when I called it as _our place_ but I know when you talked with your friends, you used that term, too. You suck when it comes to watching anything remotely scary. You would bother me a lot everytime after we watched horror movie. You're a great cook. You're good at housekeeping, extremely good that you even make me pick up your habit. You -"

"You know all these but you act like it's our first time doing everything together today. Are you trying to make a fool out of me?"

"It's because I don't want you to vanish!"

Yunho's voice is slightly louder when he said that. He looks like he is in distress when their eyes met, his are already wet with unshed tears.

"I'm afraid you would slip away again. I've met you before, at the same place, and you disappeared just like that when I tried to talk to you."

He remembers how shock he was the first time it happened. He immediately ran toward the younger man but before they could say a thing, he was already holding on to empty air.

"I want to tell you I'm sorry. I know I was wrong so please come back, Changminnie. I won't be so foolish again."

"What?"

"I was too busy with works that I keep breaking our promises. That night, I forgot that we were supposed to have dinner together. When you stormed out from the house, I was minutes too late in chasing after you. I know you probably forgot me because you hate me, but please wake up, Changmin. Your parents are worried about you."

Changmin is at lost for words when he saw tears already staining Yunho's slightly sunken cheek. He might not remember the event that happened to him but for the current him, he can't imagine him hating Yunho at all.

His best friend called it a silly crush but he knows how much adoration he have towards the older boy. He was almost perfect in his eyes. Now, the person whom he claims as the person who has the special place in his heart is apologising tearfully at him.

Has his life become an ironic satire comedy?

"You shouldn't blame yourself! My parents didn't look like they put the blame on you and I, if this person is me, I won't blame you. An accident is an accident."

Yunho pushed him away when he tried to console him.

"You are him are one person but you don't have the same memories. I'm sure I had dissapoint you a lot with how selfish I was at time."

"Perhaps. But I'm sure you made me happy a lot more during all those years. Today you made me really happy. Imagine how much happiness you've given me back then."

Yunho scoffed bitterly as if to mock himself. He shakes his head slowly despite Changmin attempting to make him feel better.

"What we did today, that was what we done on our very first date. I thought if we did the same things together, you would be happy and recover your memories. Instead, I've realised that it was I who have forgot what we have. I probably don't deserve you after everything I've done."

"Do you want us to end?"

"I want you to be happy, Changmin."

As he uttered the sentence, Changmin's vital reading suddenly become frantic. Yunho immediately pressed the emergency call button and in his panic, he didn't notice that the other Changmin is no longer in the room.

***

Doctors told him that it was a false alarm and Changmin's condition is the same as always. After informing the news to their parents, he takes a stroll outside to clear his head.

A lot of things happened that day but he also feels like it's been so long since he last felt so alive. These three months he spent most of his free times at the hospital that he doesn't realised how it makes him feel suffocated.

Being with 'Changmin' reminds him that before he already had everything he ever needed. He was chasing after superficial recognition that he lost sight of what matters the most.

That summer night, the sky is so clear that he lost track of time and rush back to get back to Changmin.

When he reached the floor, he froze when he saw nurses and doctors going into the room. Usually they would only come back for routine check up in the morning and Yunho doesn't know if he could prepare his heart for what's waiting for him inside the room.

Supporting himself using the rails on the wall, Yunho slowly makes his way inside and becomes rigid when he could finally see the bed.

Changmin is being supported by one of the nurses, helping him to lean against the bed. He didn't notice his presence for a while as the doctors are still assessing his physical condition. When he finally got some room to breathe, his eyes become mismatched at Yunho's stillness.

Another nurse who is already familiar with his presence nudge him to the front. Hesitantly, Yunho stands at the side not knowing what should he so.

Changmin weakly hook their fingers, voice soft when he breaks the silence between them.

"Hyung, I've made you wait."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have another 2 fantasy themed arcs I want to write but suddenly my physical condition weaken again. Let's see whether I can upload another update later.


	20. arc #20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I can't believe this thing I started for fun has actually reached 20th chapter and hit 100k words mark. It's quite a good number that I don't know whether I should keep adding to new chapters or let it be but oh well, let's celebrate first 🥳
> 
> Guideline to this sorta futuristic×royalty kinda plot :  
> \- Each nations has their own monarch with different ruling style for different kingdoms  
> \- Each nations main system is controlled by one core AI  
> \- The only royals who are publicly known by the whole nations are the king and queen  
> \- Only people who works closely to the crown know identity of other royal family members of their nations
> 
> WARNING : I don't know how did it get this long and I don't have any time to proofread this so if there's any mistake that bothers you, kindly point it out to me. I'll  
> try to review the whole chapter once I'm done with my work next week. Apology in advance for the inconvenience. Also, end notes contain potential spoiler, 😅

Just like all the other riches throughout mankind history, they enjoy having fun by doing things borderline illegal. The higher the risk, the eager they are to have a taste. Things that are considered as problematic as commoners are no more than leisure time activities to them.

The trio too are no stranger to those kind of antics but the saving grace to their reputations are they never got caught. Not yet.

"Guess what I found at the market yesterday?"

"Is it pet beetle? People are going crazy about it lately but it's so hard to buy them. You need to have a really good network."

"That thing is dumb. Jiyeon has a pair and they are gross, good thing they're extinct. "

Changmin shudders at the thought of the bug. His sister slipped one into his room and he almost used up his static powder to chase it away. During dinner, Sooyeon put up a large holographic displays of him trashing his room as a show to their parents.

"As expected of the princess. Do you think she can get another one for me?"

"Just show us what you got!"

He loves his best friend but at times he wonders what does he sees in them. He's known them for as long as he remembers that he thinks they look up to his sisters more although he's also a royal, not that he cares.

As sons from high ranking ministers, naturally it allows them to attend the same elite school and they hit it off right from the start. Despite being younger than him and Kyuhyun, Minho managed to click well with both of them and since then they can always be found hanging around together until now.

It can be said that they were among top achievers during their school years but behind the scene they can be considered 'adventurous ' even compared to the other nobles.

"I went to play around the market to get some smuggled anti-gravity gel, which unfortunately was sold out before I could get any. I did find something much more interesting than any playthings anyone would sell though."

Minho and Changmin roll their eyes at the first part of his story but when they saw the black stone bracelet, they recognized the item at first glance even when they have never seen it before. Kyuhyun smugly smiles at his friends' astonishment.

"You could get in trouble if you use it someone else's token. If you found this yesterday they must have reported its lost already."

Changmin harshly reminds them the risk of using a stolen token before they could get any idea. They might be troublemaker of sort but entering another nation using other's token would be deemed as treason and a threat to the royals.

"Rest assured, my friends. Do you think I don't know that? Take a good look at it."

Minho inspects it closer and after examining the token, he found something strange about it. Its inner part isn't engraved with any nation's emblem.

All access tokens look the same on the outside but the emblem carved hidden underside would determine the nationality of its owner. It would be impossible for one to be without it.

"This is an unauthorized one!"

"That's right. Technically we won't be breaking any law if we use it because this doesn't have a legal owner. Probably one of those black market merchants dropped it since it was bustling there yesterday."

After listening to Kyuhyun's explanation, Changmin takes the bracelet from Minho to confirm it. He is both amazed and alarmed someone could produce something that could disrupt the harmony between the nations.

"This is not the time to say this and very wrong to ask but does it works?"

"Minho, I won't be here empty handed if I have tried it out, wouldn't I?"

After he said that, Kyuhyun stands up to snatch the bracelet from Changmin and put it at the middle of the table.

"Who wants to give it a try?"

"You do know that is literally a crime, right?"

"Your lost then. Minho, now it's only between you and I."

He doesn't give any chance for Minho to decide when he takes the bracelet and put it on. It automatically adjust itself to fit his wrist and shows it destination access.

"Who says I won't take part in this?"

Kyuhyun and Minho look back and forth between the activated token and Changmin's mischievous grin.

"You're crazy, Chwang. There's only one token and you really think you should go to a foreign land without either of us or security team?"

"How long have we known each other Kyu? You don't think this is the craziest thing I'm gonna do, aren't you?"

When they see Changmin is already heading out, Kyuhyun can only sigh knowing his stubbornness but Minho tails after him trying to talk him out of it one last time. He runs past Changmin and blocks his way.

"Hyung, I don't think it's safe to go there alone. None of us three have stepped out of this kingdom let alone travel to another one without any company."

"That's the point, Minho. Even for merchants, they have to go through a lot processes to obtain this access. Why do you think most only have one destination approved? Unless I become a king, I'll never have the chance to go out from this nation. Nothing will happen, okay? No one knows my identity anyway."

Minho is still reluctant to let Changmin to walk through even when logically there is low probability of him to get in dangerous situations if people assumed him as just another commoner.

"I'll send buzz wave to you two before ten to prove I've returned safely."

"Why are you planning to come back that late?"

"Bye, Minho. If you keep this up I won't arrive at the station even by tomorrow."

***

At the departure hall, Changmin acts casual despite his heart is racing like crazy on the inside not knowing whether the token would function or not. When it's his turn, he waves his wrist in front of the scanner and it beeps once with a bright green "access granted" displayed on its screen.

He enters a capsule that would bring him to the shuttle and looks outside. There isn't any real view as they are still inside the terminal but he's excited thinking of what await once he arrived later. When the capsule comes to a halt, he can only see white around his surrounding.

After a few minutes of nothingness, the shuttle finally makes a thrumming sound indicating that they are going take off soon.

"We are leaving Mae nation soon and expected to arrive in ten minutes. To our citizens, may you enjoy the trip. To visitors from other nations, we hope it has been a pleasant stay."

Their nation soothing AI's voice greets the passengers and bid them farewell. Soon after, the thrumming quieten and judging from the blurring views outside, Changmin knows they have been propelled at a high speed.

Before he knows it, they are once again by an AI voice but it's clearly different from the one they hear before. It's an indicator that they have reached their destination.

"Welcome to Io nation. We wish for everyone to have a good time here and to Io citizens, welcome back to our kingdom."

Their capsules carries them right to exit gateway to leave the station.

Even from the terminal, he can see that the landscape are different from the one he is used to in Mae. While Mae is designed with the concept of clean cut minimalism but with luxurious feel, Io seems to prefer more elaborated motif with emphasised on nature.

He is in awe at the different type of plants, even the one he is unfamiliar with, that they're using as aesthetic appeal on the buildings and along the road.

Instead of taking another capsule to explore the city, he opts to walk around to take in the scenery. He follows the direction where majority of other visitors are moving to and found out that they're taking a clear glass tunnel to go to the city centre.

The tunnel is equipped with moving walkway that leads to three different destination. Changmin randomly picks the conveyor in the middle and looks at the city beneath his feet.

From the height, he can see that the nation's capital is undoubtedly flourishing with the amount of visitors walking around the street judging from various styles of the their clothing. He is aware that Io is known for one of merchants' favourite destinations as they're well known for their exceptional mix of technology and nature.

Changmin arrived at an edifice where there's variety of wildlife being sold in different shops. He goes from one shop to another, entertained by rare species of flora and fauna at high prices.

"Woof! Woof"

He lost his balance and stumbled backwards when a dog pounced at him. It doesn't attack him but it keeps sniffing him likes it's searching for something. When it got to his pouch, the dog suddenly becomes more agitated.

"Taepoong! Taepoong, stop!"

It stops trying to pull off the pouch but it's still laying on top of Changmin refusing to move. Its large paw is pressing him down to hold him to the ground.

"What are you doing?!"

In his dazed state, the dog is pulled away from his body. It struggles to escape but the man holds it tighter to him.

"Are you hurt?"

Peeking from behind his dog, the man looks at him from head to toe several times to check his condition. Changmin could only shake his head while muttering 'no' slowly.

"He's not like this usually, I don't know why did he jump on you. I'm really sorry."

After he put the dog down to his side, he quickly helps him to get up. Changmin quickly steps to his other side when the dog looks at him again.

"No, I won't bring you out to walk if you're behaving badly. Sit down."

It makes whining sound when it got scolded but still trying to obey the order while sneaking some glances at Changmin.

"You must be surprised. Let me apologise again. I can assure you this is not a common occurring at Io. It's safe here."

"It's okay. I'm not injured either. Maybe your dog knows that I'm not from here, that's why he got suspicious."

Sensing that Changmin is not mad at him, Taepoong leaves Yunho's side to approach him again. Changmin backs away slightly but stop when he noticed it is still eyeing his pouch. He takes it off and searched for the thing that could be attracting the dog inside it.

"Arf!"

As Changmin looks inside the pouch, Taepoong wags his tail excitedly in anticipation. It sits down docilely waiting, looking up at Changmin with hopeful stare.

"Is this what you want?"

He pulls out a small cube-shaped snack wrapped in silver packaging and hold it in front of Taepoong. Its tails moves even faster but he still doesn't move from his sitting pose.

"Ah, it makes sense now."

Its human who was watching everything from the side finally exclaimed bewilderedly at the situation. He looks unamused at Taepoong's eagerly eating the treat from Changmin's palm.

"Is it his favourite?"

"Yes, I often bought it for him when I go to Mae. He even ate the whole pack once when I forgot to put it away."

Changmin laughs at the ticklish feeling when Taepoong licks his hand. It is pulled away by its collar when it refused to stop.

"Why are you so greedy? Come here."

"It won't be to far off to guess that he has finished the stock too this time, right?"

"Unfortunately."

He watched amusedly at Taepoong who seemed pitiful as it got nagged. Changmin assumed the man is a merchant as he mentioned about being to Mae.

"You should come at weekend to buy it. Usually they have good deal compared to weekdays for this kind of thing."

"Uh, I've been busy lately. He would still be fine without it anyway."

The man shrugs regretfully at his predicament. Although he doesn't show it, Changmin thinks that he probably is the type that often indulged in his dog judging from it is still being fond of him despite after getting scolded.

It is a stupid thing to do as he isn't supposed to be there originally. The trip is also supposed to be a one time thing.

"I can get it for you if you want. It isn't that hard to travel here."

Both of them looks up at him with bright eyes that Changmin is scared with how adorable both the dog and human are.

"Would that be fine with you? I mean, I don't want to trouble you with trivial thing. You must have something else to do when you travel here."

Changmin tries to act as cool as he could without looking obnoxious. Truthfully he has some free time on his hand and it can be used as an excuse for him to go there one more time.

"It's not a hard task anyway. I can stop by for a bit to hand it to you before go do my other things."

"If you are sure, then I'd gladly accept your goodwill."

They talk about the detail and place for the transaction to take place. After they've agreed on everything, he's surprised when Yunho casually takes his hand to align their adhesive communication device to exchange contact informations.

Changmin has never randomly gives out his contact detail before but he assures himself it would be fine as Yunho wouldn't know who he is. It's also not likely for them to meet again after next time.

"I'll meet you there at 2 on Saturday. If you can't make it, you can inform me anytime."

"That's settled then. Tell Taepoong he doesn't has to jump on people for it anymore."

Yunho laughs at his words and repeats it to Taepoong. The dog probably has amazing comprehension skill as it barks happily at Changmin after it hears the promise.

After they part ways, Changmin continues exploring around a few more places and ends up spending quite a bit on some realistic clown simulation as a 'gift' to his sisters. For Kyuhyun and Minho, he got them anti-gravity gel and pet beetle respectively. He also bought some centuries old wine as a treat to himself.

He reached Mae a few good minutes before the promised time and send buzz wave to his friends as promised. Just a few seconds after he sent out the signal, they already bombarded him with holographic group call berate him on his recklessness.

His excuse was that he was too caught up with the night view at Io that he forgot to check the time. He also forgot to tell them that he would go there one more time over the next three days.

***

Saturday arrived much slower than he had hoped for. He wakes up early and put everything he needs inside his pouch and put on the access bracelet when he's ready to leave.

"Changmin, where are you going?"

He stills at his mother's voice calling from behind. Deliberately choosing the side hall to sneak out, he didn't expect she would still find him there.

"Mother, I have something to do outside."

His mother shakes her head in discontentment while making her way to him. She is almost a head shorter than him but for him her presence is much more intimidating than even the strongest man in the nation.

"You're already an adult now but I don't see the quality of a future king in you. How are you going to take over your father's place one day?"

"Didn't we talk about this already? I think either Jiyeon or Sooyeon would make a much better ruler and I'm going to wholeheartedly support them when the time comes."

Changmin walks her back to the main hall with a sidehug to appease and distract her from the matter. They have talked about it several time since he had came of age and until now it still become a recurring argument for them. It isn't like he is not an ambitious person but for him, being on the throne isn't the only way to prove his self-worth especially if it isn't something that he wants.

"Your sisters are still young. Don't you feel sorry for father?"

"I help him with the official work a lot since before so you don't have to worry about it. I know my responsibility. And father is still healthy and in his prime years, they have a lot of time to learn about everything."

The benefit of having soft speaking tone is that it's hard for people to tell that they are subconsciously being coaxed to come to agreement with his point. It isn't a long term solution for the problem but his current priority is to cross the border without anyone noticing his absence.

"That is still a not a good enough reason for you to lax care in carrying yourself. Spending time with other noble kids is fine but you should at least refrain from mingling too much with commoners. Don't go to public places too much eventhough it looks harmless."

"I understand, mother. I'll follow your advice well so you can rest without worry. I need to meet someone now, see you later."

Once they reach the main room, he walks his mother a bit more, help to seat her at the chaise lounge and kissed her on the cheek before leaving, not risking it by waiting for any response.

After he makes it out, he heaves a sigh of relief before sprinting when he noticed how much time he has wasted. He is sneaking out for real this time as even his friends aren't aware of his plan.

To make the matter worse, it seems that there's a little problem with the system that day as the shuttle that is supposed to arrive from Io is 10 minutes late from the scheduled time. Changmin keeping tapping his foot while glancing at his watch anxiously while waiting as he is fretful of running into people he knows.

By sheer luck, he managed to make it to the promised location right at 2 pm. As he arrived, Yunho is also making a little run towards him.

"Am I late?"

"No, I only got here just now."

Unlike the first time they met, Yunho's outfit is more formal today. Even his hair is slicked back neatly giving him an imposing aura.

"Sorry, there was a little trouble that I had to help my father with just now. It would be wrong to make you wait when you're doing me a favour here."

"Don't mention it. I don't have any other plan today as well so it's not troublesome at all."

Changmin takes out a few packages of Taepoong's treat and gives it to Yunho. Prior to today, they've been in contact with each other for the specific details on the flavour he needs and payment for the purchase.

"Are you here today only to deliver these to me?"

It is a slip of tongue but when Yunho's asked it in surprise, he mentally slaps his mouth for being so unruly. Afterall Yunho only agreed to receive his help when he told him he has other works to do there.

"There's a little change of plan because of the dealer. It's fine though, I can do another thing to do later."

Being born as prince, it's ludicrous to expect him to know specific attributes in a merchant's line of work. He keeps his explanation short to avoid from getting exposed considering that Yunho could be more experienced in the field.

"That won't do, I can't let you be on your own after travelling all the way from Mae to help me. Let me be a decent host and keep you company today."

Initially Changmin wants to refuse his courtesy but after taking into account that it would be better to have a local show him around, he is grateful to accept the gesture.

As to Yunho's suggestion, they take the pedestrian street on the ground instead of the glass tunnel above. According to him, the capital exudes a grander impression when they use the path.

During his first trip, Changmin had only used the tunnel to go from one place to another as it was the easiest way to avoid from getting lost. Now that he has a guide, he can have another new experiences.

Just as Yunho's claim, the scenery from below gives off a different impression that he would believe if someone told him they are two unrelated place. The path is sheltered from direct sunlight due to the branches and leaves of trees planted along the road. It doesn't feel crammed as the trunk of the trees are quite small given that they have lush features.

"Most of the plants used as landscapes here are genetically modified. We aim to give the feeling of walking in nature without being overwhelmed by their downside."

"I never thought that someone could create a lavish design out of this. I really missed out a lot for not being here earlier."

From the distance, it noticeable there's quite a number of crowd gathering nearly hundreds of stalls spread out at an open space.

"That's flea market. You can find a lot of goods from different nations there."

Yunho guessed his thought with ease and leads him to the area. It is almost impossible to stay at the same spot for long as people constantly move around them.

It is not until they have walked quite a while that Changmin finally found a stall which piqued his interest. On its holographic displays, it shows that their speciality is classic action figures model. Unlike the current version of action figure where they assemble each parts using the 3D hologram, the classic one requires them to construct everything by hand.

Changmin has never tried the classic version before as most youngsters at Mae prefer the latest kind so it is not available in their local market. He browse through the models that they offered and become thunderstrucked at the fact that they have the Perfect Grade model.

In his high concentration completing the purchase through the screen, he doesn't noticed that a person is running at full speed in his direction. It's only when he felt another body enveloped his into their hold that he registered what had happened.

The person that took the quick measures to protect him was Yunho. The impact from the collision was mostly sustained by him so Changmin is barely affected as he was pressed closer to the front.

"Do you know that you could hurt someone for thoughtlessly running like that?"

Taking the oppurtunity that they both staggered from the collide, Yunho seized the other man's arm and hold him in place. The authority in his voice is clear when others would have been quite shaken to react in the situation.

"Catch that thief!"

The scream adds chaos to affairs but the culprit starts flailing to flee away. It takes a few steps of practiced moves for Yunho to push him down and hold him to the ground before the accuser gets to them.

She snatched the pouch on the culprit's waist and pour out the contents inside it. There are lot of valuable jewellery coming out from it which she swiftly secured into her own bag.

The guards only arrived then and thank Yunho for helping them before taking the thief away. The female merchant repeatedly wants to give him something as a symbol of gratitude but he politely rejects it over and over again before leaving with Changmin.

"I hope you don't get wrong impression on this place. It would be hard to blame you though if you do because you keep getting roped into crazy situations everytime you're here."

"I'm kinda fine with it, actually. I mean, it's not everyday I got to see someone flips a full grown man to the ground right in front of my eyes."

Yunho covers his face with one hand, half flustered and half regretful that he acts like that in public. There's an uncommon sensation soaring in Changmin for catching Yunho offguard. His expressions are captivating in a way that Changmin mentally jots it down as one of Io's attractions.

"I shouldn't be so rash, sorry if it startled you."

"What? I'm going to go back if you keep apologising to me, hyung. I haven't thank you for taking the crash for me. So, thank you."

Thinking back at the incident, he almost regrets for being too impulsive going somewhere without informing anyone. Almost. If he didn't sneak out, he wouldn't be the owner to such a great figurine right now.

"You're my guest for the day, it's the least I could do."

Changmin's heart sunk a little at the answer. It is foolish to be reading too much into it but he feels quite disheartened to think that it could be anyone and Yunho would still do the same for them. He quickly shakes off the strange displeasure inside him and telling himself that it's the paradise-like scenery that invades his mind causing him to be muddle-headed.

"You're quite a terrible though."

The terror in Yunho's eyes makes him feel guilty for wanting to laugh at his wide-eyed response. He takes back his intention to keep up a poker face, unable to bear the woeful countenance.

"Hyung, you haven't shown the best dining place yet. This is unacceptable."

This time Changmin can't hide his laughter when Yunho looks visibly relieves after figuring out that he is teasing him. He laughs along once his nerves settled down.

"You're too much, I was so worried just now. It's quite an honour to have the usually mild-mannered you show that side of you to me."

"What side?"

"Your mischievous side, it's quite lovable. It's not often to have people pulled that kind of trick on me."

His brainpower has gone offline at the word lovable that he doesn't even heard anything else that comes after it. He doesn't realised Yunho has slung his arm around his shoulders to drag him to 'the best dining place'.

The place is exquisite, for the lack of better words. Located underwater of a manmade lake, its glass wall providing them view of the genetically modified organisms swimming around them. Most of the animals and plants are the bioluminescent kinds, radiating with different colours to produce dreamy atmosphere in the water.

"This would be my favourite place in the whole nation even if they only serve something that is barely above average."

"I'm afraid that you might be disappointed as their food are quite more than just average. And one shouldn't pick their favourite place in Io too soon because usually they would change their mind just as fast."

"Are you putting up an air with me now?"

Yunho only shrugs playfully at him. It's a little out of character with how proper he looks in formal outfit but it doesn't dampen his charm at all.

"That's a challenge then. The next time you come to Mae I'm going to show all the amazing places there to you."

"I'll be in your care at that time, then."

Unconsciously they make another sort of promise to meet up again in the future. Neither men realised the meaning of their words as they are immersed in easy banters while waiting for their food.

When they walk back at the city, there is a huge laser display of the upcoming nation's sports event. It's their annual tradition since the starting of the nation, a replicate of previous reign.

There isn't many nations that are invested in ancient sports so most of them are long forgotten causing Io to open a limited-time access to commoners from every nations to visit there during the period. It is not the same treatment to noble personages and their family, which is another reason why he and his friends have never stepped a foot to the nation before, though it's a different story for him now.

The pros and cons of being part of the top of the ladder are quite distinct much to his bemusement. Reason behind the ban of nobility from leaving their own nations is the security aspect, fearing that them would making plot to overthrow their own monarch or become a danger to the other empire.

"Come here at that time to join the festivities. I can guarantee you won't regret it though it would be a little crowded at that time."

Changmin contemplates on the offer. It's quite tempting but he isn't sure whether he can risk slipping out of the nation at that time as during the occasions, kings and queens from every nations would be invited as honourable guests.

"I'm not sure about my availability but I would keep you inform about it."

They continue to talk about the event when someone calls Yunho by his name.

"Yunho?"

The man is slightly shorter than both of them but when he confirms he doesn't get the wrong person, he lightly punches Yunho's arm.

"I thought you told your mother that you are busy with some important business?"

His tone is teasing and when he noticed Changmin who is standing still beside Yunho, he looks at him weirdly.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anything about this to her."

After that, Yunho introduced Changmin to him and they exchanged basic greeting to each other. The man is Yunho's older cousin, Jinwoo, who is as friendly as Yunho himself.

"If you may excuse us now, hyungnim. Thanks for covering up for me earlier."

"My pleasure, you can always count on me, right?"

When they go to seperate ways, Changmin remembers what the man told Yunho just now.

"Did you have a plan with your mother today?"

"Technically, no. It's just her deciding on her own for me to go on some matchmaking thing."

The fact is that Yunho is nonchalant about is giving Changmin a mix feeling. He always see him as the happy-go-lucky type that it's a little strange to see him to act wilful.

"Guess you still don't want to settle down, huh?"

"Not really, but it's hard to guess people's intentions when you meet them in that kind of setting."

In some ways, Changmin relates to his dilemma. As someone in his position, it's harder for him to meet a person who is genuine towards him that it caused him to have problem to trust people. There's only a little number of people he considers as close confidante.

"Your business must be quite good for your mother to be fussing about your suitor."

"Ah, it's not much. Just some family business of sort, kinda."

They drop the topic shortly and talk about Mae when Yunho asked him about his hometown. He speaks vaguely about his background but enthusiastically shares his favourite pastime activities. In between talking about themselves and buying things for Changmin to bring back home, unknowingly they already reached the station.

"I really have to see the places you talked about one day. How did you accidentally killed the last cockroach in the world while crying?"

Yunho's eyes are already glistening with tears from laughing too much at Changmin's story.

"I was 7 and my sisters are really something else, I swear. You been to Mae before but when you come there again, you seriously need to tell me. I'm going to show you the places that the locals frequent."

Their parting note is light and easy, as if suggesting it is not their last time meeting each other.

On the shuttle, Changmin smiles to himself while looking back at the fading view of Io. His pouch is packed with the things Yunho bought for him and it's been a long time he had a good time with someone else that isn't his family or best friends. It's also the first time someone takes a good care of him not as Shim Changmin, the Prince of Mae, but as Shim Changmin, the person himself.

***

"There's something I need you to help me with."

Kyuhyun and Minho are immersed with the latest model of hoverboard they have just acquired. Its key feature is that is has the highest levitating power compared to the predecessors, allowing them to float up to 2 metres from the ground.

"What's in it for us?"

"I can get you more anti-gravity gel if you want. There's also that famous pastry nowadays, the floating cloud, I would bring that back for us to try."

"Those things are only easily obtained in Io, Changmin hyung."

It's only after the sentence leaves his mouth that it dawns on Minho what Changmin wants to do. He and Kyuhyun looked at each other in stupefaction before looking at him.

"I know that I might be contributing to half of our insane ideas but this, that is like walking through gate of Hades with you own legs. I'm not going to agree with this."

Kyuhyun comes down from the hoverboard and holds in dangerously close to Changmin, more than ready to smack his friend in the head to make him return to his right state of mind.

"Kyuhyun hyung is right. Going to Io right now is the stupidest thing you could ever do. Everyone is currently there, your parents are there."

If they tried to talk him out of it a week ago he probably would listen to them but he has long made up his mind. He even watched the past years' celebrations and combining it with Yunho's story, he knows he needs to go there.

"It's gonna be fine. I only want to go on the last day, none of the officials would pay much attention on me at that time. You just have to convince my sisters that I'm hanging out at your place."

He grunts when they simultaneously shake their head refusing his plan.

"It's too dangerous. Their capital would be crammed by millions of visitors. How are you going to keep yourself safe? You had only been there once, you wouldn't know much about the route."

His friends still don't know about his second trip and he doesn't have intention to tell them either or else they would bug all his devices to keep tabs on his movements.

"Please, I really need your help this time. You can ask me for anything later, promise!"

They are quick to grab his arms each when he is about to kneel in front of them. After looking at his insistence, Kyuhyun sighs regrettably at his own upcoming decision.

"Why are you suddenly so persistent to go?"

Changmin makes a fist bump on the inside knowing that he is about to give in to the request.

"Before we don't have any ways to go there so it is useless to talk about it, but this year is different. I want to be there at least once since you all know that I don't have any interest for the throne, don't you?"

The killer move in trying to fish their pity is topped by his wishful stare. By now it is almost guaranteed he is going to go there once again.

Minho who was determined to not let Changmin leave again is weakened considerably by the tactic. In the end, both of them could only grumbled a reluctant agreement.

Merely 30 seconds after his friends are out of sight, he makes a holographic call to inform Yunho of his attendance. The man is evidently happy at the news and promised to pick him up at the airport.

Rather than being the stupidest thing he had ever done like Minho had claimed, it's actually the opposite. It's probably the best thing he had ever done.

Knowing that he only has one day to catch up on the festivities, Yunho has planned out the arrangements for the whole day beforehand.

They laughed too much, they drank and ate too much. Surprisingly, they managed to make it to the stadium in time to watch the closing ceremony.

Changmin cowers a bit when camera is panned to the VVIPs stand. As expected, he could see his parents from the screen and tried to hide his uneasiness.

"What is it?"

Yunho immediately noticed him squirming around him. Changmin thought he has concealed his discomfort as best as possible. He makes up a quick simple excuse to divert Yunho's attention.

"Nothing, it's just the man on my right is sitting too close to me. There isn't much space for me to move."

After leaning a bit to hear the whispered answer, Yunho peeks to confirm his words. Just as he fixed his own posture, he puts an arm around Changmin to pull him closer to his side.

"Better?"

The unforeseen solution stunned him and he could only nod to respond. After Yunho moved away his arm, Changmin could still feel the heat from the hold. It feels like he's still branded by the touch even after he returns to the solitude of his room that night.

***

Third visit turned into fourth, fifth, sixth until he could no longer keep count. When they couldn't meet due to conflicting schedule, they still constantly see each other through calls.

Amidst all the time they have spent together, the thin line between friend and lover fade until they no longer put on a label to their bond. They don't want to stay as friend but too scared to make a significant move to cross the line to become lover.

Even his friends keep teasing him about 'the hyung' he constantly meet in secret. At first, they overheard their calls but before they could see Yunho he had ended the call. Then he was caught red handed walking out of the station wearing a silly smile on his face. Since they don't know his name, they keep referring him as 'the hyung'.

There are two peculiar things about them that is probably one of the reasons they still haven't crossed the line. Changmin, for some unfathomable logic, hasn't told Yunho of his true identity and Yunho, although he has visited Mae before, has never accepted Changmin's invitation so far.

The excuse he tells himself as to why he doesn't tell Yunho that he is in fact a prince is that he has lost the right timing. They've known each for quite long that it would be weird for him to suddenly announce his status.

In truthfulness, he is just afraid that Yunho would change once he knows about it. Between them, they never hold back in their casual conversations or sharing opinion. He doesn't want to lose the precious bond between them.

And it has always been him who goes to Yunho, making him feel ever so insecure about everything. His token isn't even legally obtained but Yunho who owns one has never make the initiative to visit him. Whenever he asks him about it, he always has different excuses from business matters to family functions.

There are times where he couldn't take the excuse and refused to pick up the calls from Yunho but often in the dark of the night, during the moment of weakness, he would open the messages left by him and they would naturally make up.

Today they're supposed to go on some flower shopping as a gift to Yunho's mother. He asks Changmin for his help in getting the one that's most suitable for her.

He is ready to leave when his communicator vibrates, showing Yunho's face on the display. Changmin quickly taps on the green symbol.

"Hyung, I'll meet you -"

"Changmin! Listen, you can't come here today. You must not leave Mae by any means, do you understand?"

Before he could ask what happened, the connection is abruptly cut off. He tries to call Yunho several times but none of his attempts could get through.

Yunho told him to stay at his own nation but he was clearly in a rush when he made the call. He must've enrolled in some sort of situations to look so distress.

Against his better judgement, Changmin leaves to the station with a firm resolve. He is the last person to enter the shuttle and he doesn't know what should he tell Yunho when he finds him later.

During their arrival, there is no usual announcement by Io's AI which cause everyone to exit in confusion. The situation outside is even worse compare to the lack of announcement they have.

The whole station is offline and none of the buildings outside has their display being played in the sky. Changmin rushed through the sea of people and use the tunnel to go to the transportation plaza.

The autowalk inside the tunnel isn't working so he runs even faster through it. Whatever problem he thought Yunho has, is probably a lot more serious than he could ever imagine.

Once he arrive there and book a capsule, he realised he is truly a fool as it's obvious none of their AI powered system works. He has to use a manual way and decides that the quickest transport he could get at the plaza is a hoverboard.

After securing one, Changmin search through his communicator for Yunho's location. Before, they have used the feature several times when Yunho couldn't pick him up at the station and to make it easier, they always keep their device in pairing mode.

After entering coordinates that appears on the display into the hoverboard system, he let it carries him to wherever the place is.

The farther he goes, the more unfamiliar he is to the surrounding around him. He has never reached this part of capital before despite being there for countless times already.

When he is nearing to the red dot on the screen which is supposed to be Yunho's location, his jaw drops at the building in front of him. Although he's never been there, there's no way he would guess wrongly.

It's the royal palace of Io and the official residence for their monarch. He almost paused in his pursuit but after thinking that Yunho has been brought here, he worries that the other's life might be in danger.

Anxiously, Changmin slows down the hoverboard and flies lower to avoid from being discovered. He dismounts the board and abandon it at the back of a tree once he safely passed the garden.

According to the coordinates, Yunho is supposedly at the third floor so instead of going into the palace through the main entrance, he cautiosly tries to find a side door from the outside

His experience from all those years of sneaking aroung his own palace has come into good use when he managed to find a small opening that leads to the staffs' dining room. After making sure no ones is inside, he enters the room and runs to its next exit and found a maze-like hallway on the outside.

The hallway is a little too complex for him to gauge the direction as there's one too many turns. For the sake of his sanity, Changmin decides to focus on the map on his display and follow the blinking round mark on the display.

Without looking at his surrounding but the small screen in front of him, someone covers his mouth and drags him into a room. He tries toss and turn aggressively to set himself free but the person seems to be prepared to receive strong resistance and holds his whole body tighter.

The attacker close the door with one hand and Changmin takes the chance to bite the palm on his mouth and scrambled forward when he is released. As he is about to run to the back door, he stops in his track at the voice that cries in pain and almost got a whiplash at the speed he spins his head to look at the person.

Leaning against the door while holding his right palm is Yunho. His dark hair looks disheveled than the image Changmin is familiar with but it's Yunho so Changmin runs to hug him in relief.

They are pressed to the door as he suddenly throws himself towards Yunho but it doesn't take long for him to tighten his arms around Changmin.

"What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you not to come? Did you run into anyone?"

After he calms himself by having Changmin in his arms, Yunho tries to look for any injury on him without moving Changmin away too far from him. It's almost like a repetition from their first meeting, just that the distance is much closer this time.

"Why are you here, hyung? Did you get hurt? Is there anyone after you?"

The display still clearly shows that 'Yunho' is now at the second floor and his communicator couldn't possibly be broken. He suspiciously eyes the man in front of him trying gauge if it's a fake one and as usual, Yunho could see through him easily and pulls his left cheek.

"Are you for real? Your bite hurts more than Taepoong's and you have the audacity to doubt me?"

There's not much strength used in the pinch but Changmin still swaps Yunho's fingers away from his cheeks. He is mostly annoyed that Yunho could read him like an open book.

When he lets go of the pinch, Yunho caressed the spot and holds Changmin firmly at the spot.

"Why did you come? It's dangerous and you could be in danger on the way here."

"Do you think I would actually do nothing when you sounded like that? I might be a coward but I'm not that selfish."

At his outburst, Yunho pulls him into another hug silencing whatever he has to say. It feels like there's too many emotions inside him that he doesn't know which should he let out first.

"In what universe are you a coward, Changminnie? This is so unfair, what should I do about you?"

It's unclear whether the words are meant for him or it's just Yunho is talking to himself because he says it too softly that it sounds almost sorrowful.

"Hyung?"

"I would be fine with it even if you didn't come because that's how should be. How am I supposed to keep away my feelings when you come here for me, Changmin-ah? How am I supposed to not love you?"

Changmin feels rather than hear those words. Yunho still hides his face in the crook of his shoulder that he has to push him away to see him.

They have looked each other's in the eyes many times before but it's different this time. It feels like they finally look into each other, each have the understanding dawn in them.

"Do you really not know why I'm here, hyung?"

"I probably know now, but why me?"

"It can only be you."

He pulls Yunho to him and press a soft kiss on his lips. There's no rush in the kiss. They take the time to learn each other's angle and pace.

Yunho pulls away first, cradling Changmin's face with his palms. They are so close that he can see the younger's lashes flutter against his cheek.

"I - we'll take about this later. You really can't be right now, Changmin."

From Changmin's communicator, they can see that 'Yunho' is still at the second floor. He hold Changmin's hand and pulls him away from the door to go farther inside the room, which is apparently a library.

"I need to go somewhere outside so you're going to wait inside here, this is probably the last place they would enter."

"Who are they, hyung? I'll come with you, who knows when will you get back?"

Both of them understand the implications behind his question. He doesn't sound pessimistic but he has seen what happened outside.

Their conversation is interrupted by the sound of door opening. Yunho pulls Changmin closer to him before receiving another surprise at the one looking back at them.

"Changmin?"

"Yunho?"

***

Mae, Io and Yuu are three neighbouring nations with quite good political relations between them. Their rulers are considerably close and often take turn to host banquets for each other, which leads to the current event inside the room.

"Why didn't you tell me you're a prince?"

"Speak for yourself, Your Highness. You made me believe that you're just some random merchant."

"I never told you that. You make an assumption which I neither confirm or deny."

"Really, hyung? You literally told me you're helping your parents with family business."

"Changmin, I never said it per se, which still, I didn't exactly lied since I'm actually helping them on some works but not the business part."

"You tricked me!"

"Technically you also made me believe that you're some sort of merchant."

The two princes couldn't finish settling their score when there's coughing sound from in front of them. They bow their head low while still secretly glaring at the one beside them.

"Are you boys done bickering like we don't have real danger awaiting outside?"

It's Yunho's father who speaks first. All the kings along with their queens are sitting at one side with both of them taking the seats opposite of them. Two of Io's highest ranking ministers are standing behind of them giving them no room to escape.

"How did you manage to be here?"

Changmin's father sounds like he is still in disbelief that he would meet his own son at the foreign land, where he isn't supposed to be in the first place.

It would take too long for him to explain everything so Changmin takes off the access bracelet and put it onto the table. He could hear his mother gasps when she saw the token and he lowers his head even more.

"Where did you get that?"

Unexpectedly Yunho beats any of the elders and the first to ask him. He takes the bracelet from the table and examines it.

"Did you steal other's bracelet?"

There is no changes in his father's volume but to him that is even scarier that getting screamed at.

"No! Someone dropped it at the market but there's no emblem on it at all. I ... I thought it would be okay to use it."

He starts his defense confidently but he voice gets quieter by the end of it, knowing that he is in the wrong.

"Forgive me for speaking out of turn, Your Majesty, but a foreign prince crossing into our border using a duplicate token is too absurd."

One of the ministers behind them comes slightly forward and give a side stare at Changmin before speaking.

Neither of his parents say anything as they're at Io, it is something that only their ruler could be the judge of. Even he receives punishment for it, there's nothing their nation could do.

"Father, this token actually belongs to me. I sneaked into Mae thrice to get the treats for Taepoong but on my last visit I lost the token."

"How did you get back when you already lost the token at Mae?"

It's the King of Yuu that questions him. His own father pinched the bridge of his nose, at a loss for words by his sudden confession.

"My guard was with me so he gave me his bracelet to return first. When I arrived, I asked a merchant to deliver the bracelet to get him back here."

"Yunho."

His mother looks at him disapprovingly while helping to rub his father's arm to soothe him.

"Then, why are you here today?"

It's the first words his mother said to him during the whole ordeal but Changmin doesn't have any good answer for her. There's several answers but none of them come out of his mouth, he keeps closing and opening his mouth trying to pick the safest answer.

"Changmin didn't know about anything that happened here today. We were supposed to meet up, this and that happened, before he finally searched for me here. I deserve the blame for this, Your Majesty."

Yunho humbly bows toward the Queen of Mae, answering the question on Changmin behalf. The ministers are already dripping with cold sweat at the sight their prince shouldering the blame for someone else.

"No, I came here on my own. Yunho hyung told me to stay at Mae but it was I who was stubborn, mother."

"Your Highness, how could you be at fault when Prince of Mae came here on his own? He has done a serious crime by crossing the border, but now he dares to trespass our palace. It is best for you to distance yourself from him."

The minister who was beside Changmin just now moves to Yunho's side, trying to advise him. The action backfires as it angers him even more listening to those words.

"Minister Soo, this is not time for you to point everyone's fault. If you worry too much about those who travels illegally, I met your son many times before at the departure hall when I dropped Changmin off there."

It's such a huge blow listening to the words that he doesn't add any anything else but retreats to his original spot.

"Many times?"

Yunho's father takes the baton to question them this time. He thought it was him who heard wrongly but when his son glanced sheepishly at Changmin who is also staring at him, it's like all the puzzle pieces are finally put up together.

"How often did you come here, Changmin?"

There's gentleness behind the queen's voice this time, unlike the initial disappointment when she told Yunho off minutes before. He meekly look at Yunho's mother, too guilt-ridden to answer her.

Queen of Yuu's light chuckles lightened up the tense air causing all eyes to be on her.

"I think now we can focus on the real problem at hand? Us old people shouldn't meddle in youngster's relationship. It's inauspicious to act in old school way."

Their fathers both look like they're still trying to process the whole thing while their mothers lightly shakes their head at their sons' antics.

"That still isn't the reason to behave inappropriately."

Changmin's mother says regrettably but she doesn't comment more on it.

"Why did we waste so much time on this? Yunho, are we going to continue with the initial plan?"

His father, though still sounding a bit confused, gets back to business immediately.

"Um, can I know what happened?"

Changmin whispers to the neutral minister, when Yunho answers to his father.

Based on his explanation, the palace is under lockdown due to the treason attempt by a royal family member with several ministers. The whole AI stops functioning as they attempt to infiltrate the system so they couldn't alert their military of the situation.

It would be hard to turn back the table once they enter the system so Yunho had planned to manually control it at least to let it run at basic mode.

Once he gets a grasp of the plan, Changmin looks at everyone at the strategy table.

"I can go out there with Yunho hyung into the AI's room. It might be different for each nation, but I think the protocol would be around the same."

Yunho looks like he wants to protest the idea but King of Yuu agrees to the plan, as it's better to have two persons to get the task done.

"And how do you know about AI control protocol again?"

Changmin looks at his father in repentant when he squints his eyes at him.

After discussing the plan in detail, the two sneaks out of the room together using Changmin's communicator as guide to monitor the situation.

Their parents stare at the closed door after they leave. Queen of Yuu, who is already sitting beside Yunho's mother, nudged her side gently.

"The kids actually look cute together. Don't be too upset about it."

"Would be cuter if they follow the rule instead of breaking the law."

"I can't believe my son really go all the way here for someone."

"Well, that quite adorable if you ask me. I'm in if someone needs help with the royal wedding."

***

"How did your communicator got into the person's hand?"

Yunho's expression darken at the thought. They're half running going up the stairs, avoiding the commonly used area.

"I literally handed it to him."

At first Changmin thought Yunho is telling some type self-deprecating joke but the punchline never come.

"Why would you do that? I thought there's supposed a lot of steps before they could meet the prince?"

"Not if the rebel is family member."

Yunho pulled Changmin down to duck from one of the guards. They hide behind the wall until the guard leave the floor.

"The person just now was one of the palace highest ranked security. The fact that my cousin could influence him shows that he has planned everything for a long time and we didn't even have a clue."

When the coast is cleared, they run straight to the core room and lock it from inside. There's still little to none change of emotion in Yunho's voice when he narrates the matter, as if the outcome wouldn't change his life.

"Your cousin..."

"The one we met before. He's the one who is currently wearing my communicator right now."

Now that he can look at him, Changmin can see the hurts on Yunho's face. His voice still doesn't give off his feeling but the looks he's wearing is heartbreaking, the look of someone who has been betrayed by someone they least expected.

"If you ever for the slightest bit blamed yourself for this whole thing then stop. This isn't your fault, he tricked you."

The other man is ready walking towards the core but he halted a bit before pretending like he didn't hear a word.

"You trusted him and he used that to his advantage, why would you consider yourself at wrong?"

Joining Yunho by the controller now, he is still trying to help Yunho to get a clear view of the situation but it's hard to do that when the person you're talking to does a good job at ignoring you.

"Changmin, you either keep all that talk to yourself or help me with this."

Instantly Changmin pushed Yunho quite roughly from the main control when he snaps at him. He bypasses the access by inserting faulty code which trigger security warning by the AI system.

"You won't get anywhere if you try to do it by book in this kind of circumstances. They froze the system to buy more times to get code for the AI control command which is usually only possessed by the king."

"That's mean the system is still under our control right?"

After leaving the library, it's the first time Yunho takes a real look at Changmin. There's a glimmer of hope in his eyes listening to the younger.

"Yes, but we still need the code to gain back the access. We need to ask your father for it but you don't have your communicator so -"

"I know the code."

"What?"

The reigning monarch isn't supposed to share the code with anyone else even with their consort. Possessing the code pretty much means holding the power to overturn the ruling power at any time thus as a precaution no one else should other than the ruler should know about it.

"My father plans to abdicate the throne and let me inherit it while he's still healthy so he can guide me. That's why he told me the code in advance."

"Does your cousin know about it?"

"He only knows that my father wants to hand the throne to me. I don't know why he does this treacherous crime when he always say he would always support me."

The first time he met Jinwoo, he also thought that he was genuinely nice towards Yunho. There was not a hint he was faking it for show at all but in the end, they only met once so he couldn't say much as an outsider.

"There's an old saying, you can know the depth of water but it's impossible to tell the depth of a person's heart. Maybe his words was true at that time."

Changmin knows it isn't his place to judge and whatever Yunho thought of Jinwoo before, he shouldn't try to influence his opinion.

"What about you?"

"Huh?"

"I can't tell what do you think of me and I don't want to get ahead of myself by making my own assumptions."

The tapping on the controller stop. Changmin takes a deep breath before returning his focus onto the screen, praying that his heartbeats could also return to its normal pace.

"Um, why are you only asking me this now? Didn't I told you already?"

His fingers move even faster on the keyboard, eyes never leaving the screen. At his side, Yunho slowly smiles at his answer and couldn't resist to tease him when he moves to manually send their military emergency signal while Changmin disarming the system.

"You never told me anything, actually. We just kissed and that's it."

From his spot, he can see even the other's neck is coloured at the mention. He moves his gaze back at the monitor in front of him, waiting for any response. Their technology has been thriving for many years that they rarely does test for the manual system.

"I don't care. I as good as say everything that I need to say."

When he is about to retort the declaration, there's a beeping alert from Changmin's communicator. They notice that 'Yunho' is moving at high speed to their position.

"Damn! Have they received the signal yet?"

"There's still zero response. How long more do you need?"

"Ten minutes at most, then all we need is for you to enter the code."

\---

"Hyungnim."

"Yunho. Were you expecting me?"

When Jinwoo slams open the door, he saw that Yunho is standing by the controller. The screen shows that the system download is still in progress.

"You think too highly of yourself. I'm only trying to gain back the access to my nation here."

" _Your_ nation? Isn't this like the pot calling the kettle black? Who do you think you are to call this your nation?"

Yunho only smirks and lower his head when Jinwoo ridicules him. Ignoring the man, he turns back to look at the time remaining for it to complete.

"Me? The future King of Io, of course. Haven't you heard that my father has chosen me as the heir of this nation?"

"Not so fast. I think that depends on who got the control of the system first, isn't it?"

When Jinwoo takes a step forward, Yunho quickly blocks him by walking to him and stands in front of him. He used his height advantage to look down at the man who he has considered as a real older brother figure to him.

"Let's stop this. You can still redeem yourself if you stop now, hyungnim."

"You must have taken me as a fool after all those years I play servant role to you. I've already come this far, there's no way I can back off now."

The hurt looks flashed on his eyes for a second before he hardened his expression harden. Yunho looks at one guard who comes running and kneel towards Jinwoo.

"Your Higness, the military! They're already at the palace entrance!"

Jinwoo's face contorts into a fierce one before he lunges at you, throwing both of them to the ground.

"What are you waiting for? Hold down this bastard for me."

The guard hesitates to move but he slowly rises from the ground. He drops to his knees on the spot at Yunho's authoritative command.

"Stay where you are unless you want to bear the crime of treason!"

Despite being pressed to the ground, Yunho managed to lock Jinwoo's arms stopping him from further attacking him.

"Do you think you can win? You might reboot the system but how do you plan to activate it?"

"That is my problem to worry about. From now on you don't have to share my burdens anymore."

The determinant of the result would be the one who could overturn the AI system. Although it's beneficial to have the code once the system is back online, Jinwoo would still has a chance if he could breach the security alert to put the whole nation in state of emergency.

"Don't talk as if you ever think of me as an equal!"

During their struggle to push each other down, the screen lights up with blank page, requiring the code to activate the whole system.

Rather than trying to fight back, Jinwoo pushed Yunho backward and scrambled towards the controller. It cause Yunho to stumble a bit but he managed to balance himself and grab him before slamming him to the ground.

"Changmin! Now."

Crawling out from the hidden corner, Changmin runs for the controller and enter the code to activate it.

"System reboot. Apology for the prior inconvenience. You may now resume to access any request from the system."

The AI's voice resound through the nation and right at that time, a group of soldiers arrived at the floor.

"Your Highness, sorry for the delay. We've rescued the Kings and Queens and they're now receiving treatments for possible traumas."

The captain of the squad informs Yunho detail of the situation outside while the others secure Jinwoo and put him in handcuffs. After completing the report, the captain leads his squad to leave the room.

"Hyungnim, I never once thought you as a servant and before this, I honestly thought that you would always be someone I can rely on."

Before they escort Jinwoo out of the room, Yunho tells him what he been holding back when he heard the words just now.

"It would be nice if you could keep it like that in your memory."

When Yunho doesn't add anything else, the captain signals for the rest of them to move.

"It's good that it has come to the end."

Changmin walks to take place by Yunho's side, waiting for him to get out of the room together.

"It would take a few more days before all this sink in to me. It still feels surreal right now."

"You can take your time to do that. If you need any helps, I'll be there for you."

There's only two of them left in the room. Yunho searched for Changmin's hand at his side and holds it gently. Other than Jinwoo, no one else know that Changmin was the one who enter the code during the chaos.

"Thank you. I could never make it without you."

"That should be my dialogue. Thank you for giving me enough trust for that."

***

"How dare you keep this to yourself, oppa?"

"Hey, do you think they can give that bioluminescent thing to any organism?"

"Can we still change the order? I want to get some extra to bring back home."

"Tone down your volume, please. You're disturbing other people."

The table of five has been making the most noise since they arrived and it's a wonder that they still haven't got kicked out of the restaurant. His sisters and his best friends haven't stopped commenting about everything that they saw and he feels embarrassed on their behalf when people look into their direction.

"Oh, sorry Mister-It's-Not-My-First-Time-Here, unlike you, we've all been law abiding citizens and all these are new to us."

Since they learned about it, his sisters have been bitter that he never told them about his trips there. They would never let go of opportunities to remind him about it. It also wouldn't be as annoying if it hasn't been almost two years since they first knew it.

"It's not like I'm doing it illegally anymore, I have my own token now.."

"Yeah, you should. Don't bring embarrassment to the emblem on your token, hyung."

Minho told him pointedly while keep stuffing his mouth with the appetizer. It makes Changmin consciously put away his hand and hide the bracelet.

"You do know that even of you hide your hand, we all know that your token is from Io, right?"

Kyuhyun gives a high five to Sooyeon and Changmin feels like he makes it a mistake by gathering everyone at the same table.

"What did I missed?"

There's a hand lands on his shoulder before someone takes the seat at his left.

"Changmin oppa is playing coy about his token. Isn't he is your person already?"

The question caused everyone at the table to laugh except for Changmin, who has endured their teasing for the whole day.

"I guess you can call him that."

\--

Dinner is finally done with a few more rounds of teasing and Changmin's childhood stories being brought to light. By the end of it, Sooyeon quite drunkenly warns Yunho of things she would do if he hurts Changmin.

Finally, in the silence on the way back Yunho leans on Changmin's shoulder after being away from him for the whole day.

"How was it today?"

"The same as usual. They made me review all those ancient rites and repeated the same thing for the thousandth time already."

The way he whined on his activities makes Changmin laughs and pats his head jokingly. Both of them have been busy for the past week and it's only that day Changmin finally got a whole day free to himself.

"It must be truly boring if even you complaint about it."

"Hey!"

He receives a playful slap on the shoulder for the remark but it's soon followed by a caress at the spot. They lean closer against each other, passing through the road they've gone through a lot of times before.

"You won't regret this, won't you?"

"Hm?"

"After this you're going to stay here forever. It won't be the same as before where you only come here regularly."

The question been bothering him ever since they confirm the date both for the royal w1edding and his coronation day. It would be a week apart for the two important events in his life to take place and during some moment of insecurity, he wonders what Changmin feels about the whole thing.

"Do you remember years ago you told me one shouldn't be too quicm deciding their favourite place in Io? I think I've found mine, it's unlikely for me to change it either."

Yunho cocks an eyebrow at the soft smile on Changmin is giving him. He remembers it as Changmin had also promised to show him places in Mae after that. He did bring him around during their first visit together and it had become one of his favourites memories with Changmin because he could see the happy smile on his face whenever he talked about each places they visited.

"The place I like the most in Io and across all nations is here."

"Here? At the capital?"

"No, silly. Here, right next to you."

It's impossible for Yunho to love him more than he already has but he knows, secretly he knows no limit when it comes to loving Changmin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went through TVXQ folders in my phone and found out that I have over 15k pictures of them in here (not counting the one in laptop) and I found a lot of their old pictures together. It's touching to see how those two teenagers are still by each other's sides until today ^^
> 
> By the way, how do people pick one favourite song in True Colors because mine change constantly and now I've been listening to Hit Me Up three days straight 😭👍
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>  
> 
> SPOILER : In this arc, as they're both royals and even become monarch, eventually they would need an heir. I don't know whether I would write more but it's better to explain it early on. They probably would adopt a child from another royal relatives (e.g Yunho's siblings/cousins) as the successor.
> 
> (I love them about the same but I'm biased toward Yunho a bit more, and once again I wonder how did I constantly have Changmin as protagonist. If I'm still writing after this, I'll try to make Yunho as protagonist too ^^)


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